Mass Effect: Out of the Dark
by MelasZepheos
Summary: Shepard stopped Sovereign. It wasn't enough. They killed her. It wasn't enough. Now it's her turn. Sequel to Into Greatness. A completed novel written in real time as I play the game.
1. Prologue: Broken

**AN:-** I do not own Mass Effect or any of the character or plots contained within. This is a novelisation of BioWare's Mass Effect 2 written in real time as I play it.

To those who haven't read my first novelisation, Mass Effect: Into Greatness, I'd recommend going back and reading that first. I'll make references to storylines which were brought up in the first novel but not the game.

To those who are returning, hello! Good to see you again so soon. I hope you enjoy this as much as the first, if not more.

Necessarily, this game contains spoilers for Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, All related DLC, and potentially Mass Effect 3

**Mass Effect: Out of the Dark**

"Shepard did everything right, more than we could have hoped for." The voice was Australian, female, deep and unconsciously sensuous. It was a voice which carried confidence and self-assurance easily. Some would have said arrogant, even in such a simple sentence.

"Saving the Citadel, even saving the Council. Humanity has the trust of the entire galaxy. And still it's not enough." The woman who turned away from the stunning view was a stunning view herself, long dark hair which fell over a symmetrical face. Closer inspection would have revealed she was, if the oxymoron worked, too perfect. Her eyes were the sort of brilliant blue that only exists in films, high cheekbones that could have been sculpted from marble and full lips.

The man who answered her wasn't exactly ordinary himself, his eyes glowed blue as well, but not natural. "Our sacrifices have earned the Council's gratitude," He blew smoke through his teeth and shook his head slightly, "But Shepard remains our best hope."

The woman stalked over to him, her hips swaying hypnotically, if the man in the chair had been interested. "But they're sending her to fight geth, geth! We both know they're not the real threat." She stopped right in front of his chair, "The Reapers are still out there."

"And it's up to us to stop them."

"The Council will never trust Cerberus," Anyone who knew the name wouldn't have trusted her either. The same woman they were talking about had once spent weeks tracking down their bases and endeavours, shutting them down one by one. "They'll never accept our help, even after everything humanity has accomplished. But Shepard…" Her voice turned from sarcastic to contemplative, "They'll follow her, she's a hero, a bloody icon." Suddenly uncertain, she looked back to her boss for confirmation. "But she's just one woman. If we lose Shepard, humanity might well follow."

He blew smoke again and fixed his employee with a piercing glare, almost literally. "Then see to it that we don't lose her."

Miranda Lawson left the room, waiting until the door had cycled closed before allowing herself a long shuddering sigh. _Now I just have to convince a woman who by all accounts will hate us to join our cause. _She remembered the file, notes made specifically to point out how stubborn Shepard was, how determination and pigheaded stubbornness had pushed her through a confrontation with a galaxy destroying evil.

_It's going to take a lot to change her mind._

* * *

><p>Six months of fruitless border patrol was tough on everyone, especially when there was little time for shore leave. Joker found himself wondering if Shepard was ever going to let them have a break. Three months of insanity during the chase for Saren, and even in the midst of that they had found time to pause, time to collect their breath and regroup.<p>

But it had been three months since then, and the Normandy hadn't seen dock in all that time, refuelling at stations out on the rim and hopping from system to system. He wasn't even completely sure what Shepard was looking for out here, but she seemed to know something, and all the time she had spent with Prothean knowledge in her head had to count for something, right?

He tried to put the thoughts out of his mind and concentrate on the task at hand. They were supposed to be looking for geth, but he couldn't shake the feeling there was more on Shepard's mind.

"Disengaging FTL drives, emission sinks active, board is green we are running silent." The checks were routine by now. He and the Normandy had been together ever since she had been commissioned, and from the second he had sunk into the seat of the latest the Alliance had to offer, he had known where he wanted to spend the rest of his career. There might be better to come, but they would never beat the original in his mind.

"We're wasting our time," Pressly came up behind him, sounding more distracted than annoyed. Joker had to agree with him though, even if he had heard the coming speech for almost three days straight. "Four days searching up and down this sector, and we haven't found any side of geth activity."

Joker's response was also routine by now. "Three ships went missing here in the past month, something happened to them." _As always, the question is what._

"My money's on slavers. The Terminus System is crawling with them."

"Picking up something on the long range scanner," That was a change from the usual conversation. Joker looked over to where a young ensign was running through scans. The seat had once been Lieutenant Kaidan Alenkos. A long time ago. "Unidentified vessel. Hmm, looks like a cruiser."

Joker brought the data up on his own screen and examined it. the ensign had sharp eyes but no real experience yet. The skeleton crew which had carried them through the fight against Saren had been expanded a little since then. "Doesn't match any known signatures."

"Cruiser is changing course, now on intercept trajectory."

"It can't be," Pressly was sliding into his assigned station, "Stealth systems are engaged, there's no way a geth ship could possib…"

"It's not the geth!" Joker saw energy signatures light up along the front of the cruiser, and suddenly classification didn't matter so much. "Brace for evasive manoeuvres!"

The eezo kept them from feeling it as the Normandy slewed to one side, but the stars before them became blurs, the shields flaring into life as a beam of orange light pulsed into life right by the cockpit. Joker tried to pull them the other way but he had strayed too close to the nearby planet and the gravity was interfering with his manoeuvre.

The shields went immediately, and time seemed to slow as the beam pulled closer, and he had time to watch as the sensor on the Normandy reported a massive overload to the flank, and outside the window he could see explosions erupting all along the side of his ship.

_Baby, no._

They escaped the planet's gravity for a moment and he was able to pull them back out towards space, but the Normandy was pulling badly, and he was down to at least forty percent power. His eyes closed as the second beam lanced out, and the Normandy juddered and shook again as the other side blew.

"Aah!" Behind him Pressly yelled and flew backwards, his console exploding, showering Joker in sparks.

_Ignore it_, He barely even flinched as the sparks burned holes in his arms, toggling through screens as fast as he could.

"Kinetic barriers down, multiple hull breaches, weapons offline," He turned to look at Pressly's body, noting with a detatched concern how it didn't move, and the face had been all but burned off by the proximity of the explosion. "Someone get that fire out." Was all he said, and he turned back to the controls.

* * *

><p>Liara rushed through the ship, leaping a body and trying to pull her helmet on. She didn't know where the others were, and she didn't care. She found the object of her search by the cryopods, an extinguisher in hand and fires raging around her. Months before Liara had seen Shepard pulled alive from the wreck of the Citadel Tower, her armour and body practically fused together and every inch of her covered in blood. Yet somehow the sight of the Commander, helpless against the flames of her own broken ship, terrified her more than even Sovereign had.<p>

"Shepard!

"Distress beacon is ready for launch." The woman's voice, as always, was calm, collected, clear. The only times she ever dropped the voice were when the two of them were alone in her quarters, shutting out the noise of the ship. But the quarters were burning mere feet away from her.

She struggled to bring her own panic down, to match the calm of her Commander, her lover, "Will the Alliance get here in time?"

Shepard turned and dropped the extinguisher, gripping her shoulders tightly and touching their helmets together, "The Alliance won't abandon us, we just need to hold on," She stepped back and went back to trying to keep her ship together, "Get everyone onto the escape shuttles."

"Joker's still in the cockpit, he won't evacuate," She tried to get close but another fire sprang up from a bulkhead. "I'm not leaving either."

This time Shepard didn't look round, "I need you to get the crew onto the evac shuttles. I'll take care of Joker."

"Shepard…" Some claimed that asari had a sixth sense, Liara had never believed it until now.

"Liara," It was subtle, the change in tone. Only someone close could ever have caught it. There was defeat in Shepard's voice, and as Liara focused, really focused, she saw how Shepard's shoulders were sagging, and her head was slightly bowed. "Go, now."

Everything in her told her to stay, to at least help Shepard carry the burden she was bearing, but in the end, she knew where the line between the bedroom and the ship lay, "Aye aye." She said, wishing she had some way to say goodbye properly, but another explosion reminded her of the situation, and she ran.

There didn't seem to be many crewmembers still on the ship. There were bodies, far too many bodies, but of the last two shuttles, one was empty and the other was filling. She helped a midshipman up and threw her towards the doors, "Everybody in," She yelled, "Go! Go! Go!"

She spared one last look back as the door began to close. She had never been one for prayer before either, but now she offered one, a short hope, one word only.

_Please._

* * *

><p>Shepard watched the display as Liara's pod left, and breathed a sigh of relief. At the very least, she had made sure that the scientist was safe. She abandoned the useless task of trying to contain the fires and rushed back through the ship, past the mess hall as the table blew in two, splinters pounding her kinetic barriers.<p>

Up the stairs, to where the door was beginning to buckle. She activated the seal and was nearly blown over as a massive gust of wind hit her back. _Escaping atmosphere._ She realised immediately. She hadn't experienced it since Basic. It was done to acclimatise the troops, but normally if the atmosphere had vented, there was very little chance of winning the engagement anyway.

_This was never an engagement. We were ambushed, and now I can't even save my ship._ She stepped out into what had been the CIC, and stumbled as the gravity shifted beneath her feet. She thought of Tali and Adams, down in engineering, and hoped they had got out in time.

Above her a planet glowing blue, white clouds racing over it. _I wonder if it'll be nice when we get down there?_ She wondered idly, trying to ignore the voice that asked, _I wonder if we'll get down there?_

Then she was through to the walkway, leading to the cockpit. Six months ago se had walked through her, wondering why she was still being sent on milk runs after Akuze. _Some milk run._ They didn't send SPECTREs on shake downs after all. They sent SPECTREs to die.

"Come on Joker," She ignored his distress calls, there was no one to hear. "We have to get out of here." She could hear the defeat in her own voice, but shoved it away, _Joker will survive, that's the only objective now._

"No!" He yelled at her, "I won't abandon the Normandy! I can still save her."

It was a desperate plea, and they both knew it. She laid a hand on his shoulder, hard enough to bring him out of his own little world. "The Normandy's lost." It felt harder to say than to think, like saying it somehow gave it credence, made it possible. Until she had uttered the words there was always a chance. Now she was giving up, and he went slack in her grip, "Going down with the ship won't change that."

"Okay," He sounded about as good as she felt. His hands hovered for a moment longer on the controls, then dropped limply, as if the Normandy had been the only thing keeping him going, all this time, since before she had even met him. He was a part of this ship as much as she was, and it was no surprise to her that as it went down, they were the only two left alive and on board.

_Maybe we should just go down with the ship. It might as well be his body, and it might as well be my heart._

The cockpit jerked forwards as they sat frozen together, and she crashed hard into the back of his command chair. The shock jolted them both back to the present, and she helped to lift him, as careful as she could be of his fragile bones. When she turned the entire back half of the ship had gone, and she was watching it drift slowly towards the planet, shredding itself apart on the upper atmosphere. If they didn't get out they would end up the same way, burning to dust above snow capped mountains.

_A beautiful way to go, if hardly fun._

The back half had carried the eezo core, and without it the gravity went, leaving them weightless. With ease she lifted Joker and pushed off from the deck, spiralling towards the final escape pod. She threw joker towards it and he slid against the wall, still reaching for her as another explosion reversed her own leap and she impacted on a bulkhead, her visor cracking.

"Commander!" She heard him dimly through the helmet speakers as the doors cycled closed. "Shepard!"

In freefall, she looked around as the remains of the Normandy drifted away from her, any protection she might have hoped for hitting the atmosphere and reminding her that her own fate was only moments away.

_There's a dark beauty here, if I had a taste for it._ She watched bodies circling lazily across the void, dragged down by the planet to become shooting stars, marking the grave they had fallen to. _I'll join them soon. Only fitting I guess._

Just as she had resigned herself to it her suit hissed and she realised her air was escaping. She grabbed for the control panel at the back, but it was far out of reach. In a second she was breathing carbon dioxide, and her heart fluttered in her chest as she heaved for something more.

_No, not like this! _She grabbed at her throat, as though somehow it would give her air, real air, but none was coming. Spots danced on her eyes and the starlit vista became nothing but black, colours of her own mind dancing on it. _I don't want to! It's not fair! Liara._

_Liara._

_Liar_

_Lia_

_Li_

_L_

Her last thought was of blue skin, cinnamon and strawberries, eyes swimming black in the midst of pleasure. Of possibilities which would never be fulfilled, and finally of a final hold, not even a proper hold, and of not ever saying goodbye.

Intense heat found its way to her skin, and Commander Shepard died.

**AN:-** Thanks for reading Mass Effect: Out of the Dark!

I'm kidding.

The actual Prologue of the game technically includes this and the next level, right up until you meet TIM, but when I was able to spend so long describing Shepard's death in loving detail, I thought I'd cut it here and let you enjoy the horrific image of Shepard burning to death above the planet.

Come back next chapter! Don't know when that will be, but come back for it, it's going to be awesome!


	2. Chapter 1: The Lazarus Project

**AN:-** I'm back at university, Hurrah! I'm in my final term and exams are approaching, hurroo. Lots of spare time to write between now and the end of May though, so hopefully I should have this project well under way by the time I really have to start working hard.

Hope you enjoy.

**Chapter One: The Lazarus Project**

_Commander Shepard has been recovered; the Lazarus project will proceed as planned._

* * *

><p>Shepard woke.<p>

For a few seconds she lay in stillness, trying to work out where she was. She couldn't see or hear anything, and her body seemed to be numb. She tried to move her arms, but they seemed to be held down, and her eyelids didn't seem to open either.

_So where am I?_

Thinking was a lot more difficult than she had expected. Her thoughts didn't seem to be working quite right and her body seemed to be just as bad. She tried to open her eyes and get some bearing on her situation, but they seemed to be held down. She wondered about that, and what purpose could be served by not allowing her to see.

_If I'm being restrained against my will, then I'm probably in trouble._

She tried to remember what she might have been doing that would have led to someone capturing her. Her first thought was of Saren, but he was about as dead as anyone could make him. The bits of his metallic skeleton that had been left after her team riddled him with bullets had then been scattered when Sovereign's arm came crashing through the Citadel window, so he was out.

The Batarians on Asteroid X57? No, that mission was done too. But the Batarians were still a potential candidate, she had left them alive after all. Kidnapping and torture was definitely their style as well, but she couldn't think of any reason why they would go to so much trouble over it. Her memory was a little fuzzy on the exact details of the kidnapping as well.

_We were out on the rim, looking for the geth. Something went wrong._

She couldn't remember anymore, there was a vague sense that Liara had been there, but then Liara went with her almost everywhere, so that shouldn't have been too surprising. She could remember the Normandy, and that something had happened.

_The ship, that weird energy beam, the Normandy._

She wanted to struggle, but her body remained infuriatingly still. _I fell._

She remembered that much. The Normandy breaking around her, the escape pods all gone and the planet below coming up fast, but after that there was nothing, just a sort of blank space where her memory should be. _How could I have possibly survived?_

A realisation had been building in her head for some time, and now it marched to the front to make itself heard. It wasn't that she couldn't open her eyes, it wasn't that she couldn't hear, and it wasn't that she couldn't move her limbs.

She didn't have any of it left. Her eyes were gone, her hearing completely useless, her body a vegetable.

_If you can call this surviving, I'm not sure I want it._

She tried to thrash again, and suddenly felt her mind slowing again. _No! I have to stay thinking, it's all I've got. Don't make me sleep again._

In the past, her experience with tranquilisers had been of blackness falling over her, but now there was only blackness, and she was just going deeper in.

* * *

><p>She woke again and knew she was in pain.<p>

It was vague, completely untraceable, but somewhere on her body, she was registering pain. _This is a surprise, and almost a pleasant one._

Long ago a certain Gunny had told her that pain was a soldier's friend, as long as it didn't overwhelm them. Pain was the constant of life, if you felt pain, you were alive, and that was better than the alternative. _Sorry Ellis, they caught me goldbricking._ She would have smiled, if she'd known how to move her lips. Or if she knew she had lips.

_That was morbid._

She focused on the pain again. She thought it was in the back of her neck, possibly a little lower, between her shoulder-blades. That was a nice revelation, knowing she at least had potential shoulder-blades. And having a neck meant she likely still had her head.

_Worry number one gone, I'm not a brain in a jar._

She still couldn't open her eyes or hear, but she was more interested in the pain signal running through her mind. It was a kind of dull ache, throbbing rhythmically. She counted the pulses, wondering whether she was counting her heartbeat, or just the transfer of electrons through her body. She hoped it was a pulse, having a heart would make her situation that little bit better.

_Of course, a heart doesn't necessarily mean a chest to keep it in, but I'll take what I can get right now._

She realised that she wasn't panicking as much, and instead seemed almost happy with the turn of events. _God I hope that's drugs and repression._

Determined to make the most of her newfound pain sensation, she tried to pinpoint exactly where it was. When she had been in training, all those years back in boot; she had been told that if you could find the exact source of the pain, and mentally close that little part of your body, then you'd be able to keep moving. Hopefully she still had the ability.

Tentatively, working parts of her brain that felt like they had been dead for a long time, she tried to find the injury. It wasn't her head, she knew that much. A sniper got used to the feel of eye strain pretty quickly, and any soldier knew how much ears could hurt after a battle. In fact, she realised that she could probably catalogue every part of her head by some sort of injury bit had once received.

_I should probably think about that later, but now I have to focus._

She moved her attention down, and realised to her delight that she really did have a neck, and it was aching a little from being held firmly in place. _A neck and a head, result._ Still no sense from her features of course, but still.

She felt a little lower, and her spine came into her mind. _I can feel my spine. Now that's just weird._ But she could feel her spine, and she could feel the little spark of pain, right in the middle of it, coursing its lazy way up to her brain, telling her that, one way or the other, she was alive.

_Well I guess that's something. I wonder if the rest of me is here as well?_

That was when the little spark exploded. She screamed inside her head and tried to thrash as pain crashed over her in waves, barely relenting as it spiralled up from her body to beat on her skull. She felt like the bones were going to rupture, her brain leaking out her ears. A pressure wave of such intensity she bucked and vomited up nothing, a foul taste spiking her throat.

_I have a throat, I have a mouth, I'm breathing!_

The pain was going fast, along with her consciousness. She wasn't sure whether she was being doped or just passing out, but she clung to one thought as she sank back under the level of blackness between waking and sleep.

_I felt it all, my whole body, it's all back._

* * *

><p>"<em>Look," <em>Hearing returned in a wave as she awoke again. She had no idea how much time had passed between one waking and another, and she knew that in between there had been glimpses, flashes of insight, spots dancing where her eyes should have been, a high pitched whine in her ears.

This was something else, her hearing was back, and as she stretched out the senses she had been training while restrained she thought she felt a change in the blackness.

"_On the monitor," _It was a woman's voice, the accent hard to place in her half-awake state._ "Something's wrong."_

_Wrong? Nothing's wrong you stupid woman, I'm alive and I'm awake and I'm fairly certain I have eyes and ears, and I know I have a throat._ She struggled, feeling twitches of response from her muscles. _I can't have been out that long, why are my muscles so tired?_ She changed her focus, trying an eyelid, just one glimpse of the outside world and she would be fine.

"_She's reacting to outside stimuli." _A man's voice had joined the woman, and he sounded terrified,_ "Showing an awareness of her surroundings. Oh my god Miranda, I think she's waking up!"_ Miranda. Now she had a name, and that was something else. Her sniper's instincts were kicking in. Give her a name and a face and she would have been able to take out any creature in the galaxy.

She just needed a face.

During the final fight against Saren, Shepard had stuck her arm into a power cell that blasted her with enough power to keep four rocket turrets firing. The feeling wasn't too dissimilar to what happened when Shepard managed to open an eye. Light streamed in and she felt her head scrape against something as she recoiled from it.

Determined, she forced her eyelid open again and managed to keep it there. The light wasn't as blinding as she had thought; it was the whiteness of the medical bay she was in. It wasn't the Normandy, or one of the Citadel centres she had been in after the search for Saren. Her head felt too heavy, leaning slightly to one side.

"_Dammit Wilson," _The woman's voice was getting closer to her. And now she had another name as well. Wilson and Miranda._ "She's not ready yet. Give her the sedative." _With every sentence she told Shepard more and more about what was going on. She might have been about as useful as a broken pistol, but Maia Shepard had one thing on her side. As long as her mind still worked, she could collect information like no one else she knew._ "Shepard, don't try to move, just lie still, try to stay calm."_

She finally had a face for the name. It was a beautiful face, full lips, cheek bones that would have set her heart racing, if it hadn't been going like a rabbit already. Long dark hair which somehow managed to remain artfully positioned despite the woman's frantic actions.

Not that Shepard was one to be distracted by beauty. Her other eye opened and she tried to fix the face in her mind, making sure that whether Miranda deserved praise or a bullet, Shepard would remember when they next met.

"_Heart-rate's still climbing; brain activity's off the charts." _Shepard hoped she was smiling, that would be just the right element of creepy right now. If she was, Miranda didn't react._ "Stats pushing into the red zone, it's not working."_ She had a flash to Joker, sitting at the Normandy controls and sending distress signals out into the void, no one to hear.

"_Another dose now."_

She felt the sedative flowing into her. Her senses had gotten a lot better, without sound or vision to help her. She resisted to drug as long as she could, feeling her limbs fall to sleep in sequence, until her head was lolling uselessly on her neck. "_Heart-rate dropping, stats falling back into normal range, that was too close, we almost lost her."_

Miranda didn't respond, except to walk closer, and Shepard thought she might have been reaching out a hand as well. The look on her face was impossible to read, as her hearing left her and her eyelids started to droop again. Was it fascination, annoyance, comradeship?

_Who are you Miranda?_

* * *

><p>She woke to blazing sirens and pain. Her eyes jerked open and light flooded in too fast. She moved instinctively, trying to cover her face, and was shocked when hands appeared at the bottom of her vision, shielding her. There were voices on the intercom and the sounds of attack all around.<p>

Used to the light, she moved her head left and right, taking in the details. No one was there to stop her this time, and she was able to take in what looked like a fairly standard medical bay, lockers, desks, equipment lining every surface. The voices on the comm system were growing more desperate, except for one, which she could have picked out if the battle had been raging in the room with her.

"Wake up Commander." _Miranda. _"Shepard, do you hear me?" _Maybe I'm not ready yet, but I feel like I've been stuck in place forever._ She knew her arms were working, so maybe the rest of her was too. She tried to move a leg and heard the scrape of skin against sheets.

_This gets better and better._ She moved the other leg, then tensed her stomach muscles. Protesting every second they pulled her up, and she rubbed them, glad at least to be finally sitting up. She realised as the sheet around her fell that she was also naked, which wasn't exactly the best uniform for a pitched firefight, and she would know.

Miranda seemed to be getting impatient. Shepard wondered if there was a camera anywhere in the med bay. _God that's creepy, still, no time for modesty. _"Get out of that bed now," Shepard obliged, swinging her legs out and gathering the sheet around herself. At the very least it could serve as a disguise or distraction. "This facility is under attack. Shepard, your scars aren't healed, but this facility is under attack," _I heard you the first time._ "I need you to get moving, there's a pistol in the locker on the other side of the room, hurry."

She looked and saw the only locker, walking over to it. Her body seemed at once weak and strong. Walking felt odd, like she was out of practice, trying to remember quite how one foot went in front of the other. She nearly tripped on her sheet several times, and when she reached the locker it took her several seconds to figure out how the handle worked.

Inside was a suit of armour and a pistol. Always the pragmatist, she took the armour first, dropping the sheet and yanking the body stocking on. Without the proper undergarments it would feel disgusting, and chafe, but wearing the armour without the stocking was just stupid.

While she was dressing she took a moment to examine her own body. There were scars everywhere, and in some places she wouldn't even have been that kind. It was like her skin had been sliced open and left that way. Beneath the surface she could see lights pulsing gently, and when she ran her fingertips along the light she could feel hard lumps there.

_They implanted me with something. Lots of somethings._

There wasn't a mirror in the locker, or anywhere that she could see, and she wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or not. On the one hand, if her body was the wreck it was, her face wasn't likely to be much better, but she needed some sign that she really was herself.

She picked up the pistol, and even as she was wondering what the design was she felt a weird twitch behind her nose and the information came to the front of her mind. Statistics and manufacturers information she would never have bothered with before. It also told her something odd.

"These guns have removable heat sinks?"

"There'll be plenty for you to pick up on the way, now move it Shepard."

_Why would anyone think removing the heat sinks was a good idea?_ She wondered. _Correct management of heat dissipation was easy enough to teach in basic, and it meant that a gun would never be out of ammunition._

Running through protocol, her way of keeping her mind off the real issue that was bothering her. To implement such a huge change in the mechanics of weapons would have taken a lot of time. _How long was I out?_

An explosion took out the door to the med bay just as she was wondering where to go, and she raced through it, finding a clip in the next room, she slotted it into the gun and fired a single shot into the far wall. The gun had more recoil than she was used to, pulling her aim to the right, and the alignment of the weapon was out as well, dragging to the left.

Wishing she knew how she had been able to get all that from a single shot Shepard raced to the next room.

"Watch out for the mechs," Miranda's voice came a split second after a bullet had whizzed past Shepard's head. More questions sprang into Shepard's mind as she wondered how she had been able to see the bullet as if in slow motion, while looking for and finding cover at the same time.

Leaning out from the other side of the box she had ducked behind Shepard fired once, straight into the thing's eyepiece. The entire head exploded, sending a pistol spinning towards Shepard. The gun itself had been broken by the force of the explosion, but the heat sink was still intact. Patting herself down she discovered a pouch which was clearly meant for storing the things.

_And of course, the space is ridiculously tiny. I'll barely be able to hold any heat sinks in there._

She raced up the ramp and into the next room, where several low lying crates and workstations provided her some cover as more of the mechs piled in. Their targeting seemed to be a little off, only one shot coming close enough to worry her shields, and she took each of them down with a shot to the head.

She waited until they had finished exploding and raced through, scooping up a couple of heat sinks along the way. _What is the point in making mechs who explode when they take damage? Surely that must be a violation of someone's health and safety laws._

Skidding into the next room she saw a dead officer and a grenade launcher sitting against a safety barrier. "Take the grenade launcher Shepard; it should help you dispatch the mechs easier."

_I hate grenade launchers, _Shepard thought as she knelt behind the safety barrier, _No finesse._ Another group of mechs were entering the area below her, and she capped the middle one in the faceplate, grinning as the explosion took out his friends. _No OSHA, but it does make my life easier._

She took the grenade launcher anyway, strapping it to her back, and rode an elevator down to the next level. A quick sprint and she was into a set of corridors lined with bodies and bullet holes. She stepped around the carnage as much as she could, finding herself next to a door. She stepped through and found an office space, consoles blinking invitingly at her.

"Shepard, we don't have time for your curiosity, get out of there and move on."

_Oh ho,_ Shepard stepped up to one of the consoles and accessed it, _You don't want me near this room for some reason, which is good enough reason for me to go snooping._

The computer was easy to hack, but once inside the files were mainly useless. She downloaded everything that looked promising and moved to the other computer, repeating the process. If she got out she would go over the files when she had the time.

She left the office, Miranda scolding her over the comm, and went through another door. Up the stairs she found another terminal, which had a recent log entry on it. She was in the middle of downloading it when she saw a man in a security uniform run up to the other side of an observation window.

"Help me!"

She surveyed her side, but couldn't find an easy access route, "How can I get you out?" She yelled.

"There's no way out this side, the mechs have closed off everything, help me."

She took a few steps back and drew her pistol, "Stand back."

There was a whirring noise on the other side of the glass and a gigantic mech stepped into view. At least twice as tall as her and several times as wide. The security officer turned to stare at it and she unloaded a full heat sink into the window, which remained solid. She could only watch as the mech opened fire with an arm mounted cannon, the heavy shells failing to make a dent in the glass, but completely destroying the man.

_Another one dead._

The download had finished. She took the USD from the terminal and ran to the next door, looking back as the mech tried fruitlessly to break through the glass and get her. _No matter where I go, someone always seems to want trouble for me._

**AN:-** This chapter was getting on for 6,000 words easily, so I thought I'd just break it into two. Basically as of the next one we meet Jacob and the story begins proper.

I hope everyone enjoyed the opening bits. I just find the idea that Shepard was alive before so much more horrifying and fun, especially since she probably wasn't given eyeballs or a nervous system for a while, which I found really creepy as an idea.#

There'll be some more notes on her exact appearance when she can finally get to a mirror, but basically think somewhere between Stana Katic and Lara Croft. The really defined jaw and high cheekbones, much gaunter cheeks, big eyebrows. I wanted her to look like my Shepard from the last game, who was basically Lara Croft, Mass Effect edition, but like my Shepard after extensive reconstructive surgery and death. Much gaunter, much paler, and much hardier looking.

See you next time! Please read and review.


	3. Chapter 2: Cerberus

**AN:-** Another chapter so soon. This is as far as I wrote in advance, so now I'm back to playing and writing up dialogue. Hopefully should have more up, maybe even by the end of the day.

**Chapter Two: Cerberus**

Up ahead she could hear gunshots, and a man's voice calling for help. She broke into a jog and came through another door to find two walkways, one crawling with mechs and a man on the other, holding them back with an assault rifle.

She ducked under the mech's fire and slid into place next to the man, "What have you got?" She asked.

He turned to look back, then did a double take at her, "What are you doing here? Thought you were still a work in progress."

That was enough to make her suspicious, "Are you with Miranda?"

"Yeah, sorry, forgot this is all new to you right now." He at least seemed a little less officious than Miranda. He reached out his left hand and she shook it, "I'm Jacob Taylor, I've been stationed here for…" A bullet pinged off his shields and they flickered out, "Dammit, things must be worse than I thought if Miranda's got you running around." They both stood to fire, and three mechs went down in seconds, "I'll fill you in, but we gotta get to the shuttle first."

_Seems fair._ She fired until the first of the mechs got a bead on her, and ducked back down again. Next to her Jacob was flaring pre-biotic blue. _This should be good._ He stood and waved a hand, and one of the mechs was pulled towards them, clattering off the walkway and plummeting down. _Less impressive, but still another skill I can use._

She finished off the last one and turned to talk, but Taylor was already heading for the door, "Come on, we don't have time, if you're awake, then we're in trouble."

_Like I have any choice in the matter._ She followed him through the door and they were soon jogging along another corridor. There were more mechs, but with two of them there was no challenge. Shepard insisted on stopping in another office to gather more data, Jacob huffing in a corner the whole time, and they were back onto the path, bursting into a service access route that Jacob knew about.

Inside there was an older man leaning against a wall and groaning, clutching at his leg.

"Bastards got me in the leg."

She recognised the voice instantly, "You were there when I woke up." She had her pistol slightly raised. Taylor might have been a good soldier, but he was no where near fast enough. _Maybe when I've got a minute I'll wonder how I can be so fast even though I've come right off the operating table._

"Yeah that was me," He grimaced again, "How about we talk about this after we fix my leg?"

"There should be some medigel in the first aid station on the wall." Taylor pointed it out, and she jogged over to retrieve it. She had never been bad at applying medigel, but she found that when she returned to get Wilson on his feet she was more proficient than she remembered. It was as if someone had been going through her brain giving her the essential data they thought she needed. Information on how to hack modern computers and security locks, information on how guns had changed, and now information on healing.

Wilson was one of the people who had done it, and it made her feel violated. He and Miranda had gone wandering around in her head like it was their own personal property to shape as they wanted. As he stood she kept the pistol ready in her hand.

"Thanks Shepard, never thought you'd save my life, guess that makes us even now." When she just kept frowning he looked back to Taylor, "Hmm, I thought maybe I could shut down the security mechs, but whoever did this fried the whole system, completely irreversible.

_Strange how innocent people never feel a need to explain why they're in a certain place. _Taylor asked about it before she could though, "We didn't ask what you were doing, why do you even have security clearance, you were in the bio-wing."

"Weren't you listening? I came here to try and fix this. Besides I was shot, how do you explain that?" _I wouldn't have thought I'd have to until you asked._ Shepard was now convinced she didn't want Wilson behind her as they moved through the facility. A bullet in the back wasn't a way to go.

"You're all strangers to me," Shepard gestured with her pistol, making sure it strayed a little closer to Wilson than was strictly necessary. "Let's get someplace safe and then we'll sort out whose fault it is."

"Right," Taylor drew his assault rifle again, "Shepard, we need to find Miranda, we can't leave her behind."

"Forget about Miranda," Wilson was back again, always with the excuses they hadn't asked for. "She was in D Wing, the mechs were all over that sector, there's no way she survived." _I survived a running gun battle against a dozen mechs, no reason someone else couldn't._

Taylor agreed, "A bunch of mechs won't drop Miranda, she's alive."

"Then where is she, why haven't we heard from her? There are only two possible explanations, she's either dead or she's a traitor."

"Then why did she wake me up and warn me about the attack?" Shepard was almost enjoying this. The man was so guilty she could barely keep herself from knocking him unconscious where he stood.

"Okay, maybe she's not a traitor, that doesn't change the facts. We're here, she's not, we need to save ourselves, the shuttle bay is only a few…" A bullet smacked into the wall behind him, sending Wilson diving for cover. Shepard didn't even flinch, raising her pistol and firing into a fuel line, the explosion wiping out the whole bunch of them.

"Okay," Taylor was almost in awe as he stared at her, "We took 'em down, but this is getting tense, Shepard if I tell you who we work for , will you trust me?"

"This really isn't the time Jacob."

"We won't make it if she's expecting a shot in the back."

"If you wanna piss off the boss it's your ass Jacob."

"Anytime guys." She said, tapping her foot.

Wilson limped off while Taylor turned back to her, "The Lazarus Project, the program that rebuilt you," _What an original name. I should probably be glad it wasn't The Messiah Project, _"It's funded and controlled by Cerberus."

She pulled the pistol up and centred on his head, "I seem to remember running into Cerberus a few times during my investigation. Pro-humans who carried out twisted experiments and killed people who got in their way."

"Well, that's what the Alliance wants people to believe but there's more to it."

"You don't get off that easily Taylor," She circled him, keeping Wilson in view. At close range his shields wouldn't help as the bullet took off his head, "I saw the files, I was told by one of my own squadmates how Cerberus experimented on his for years, driving him to the brink."

"The Alliance declared you dead, they gave up," He was pushing on regardless. "Cerberus spent a fortune to bring you back. Look, I'd be suspicious too, but right now we have to work together," He gestured to the room they were in, battle scarred, the broken mechs twitched in a corner, "I just thought you deserved to know what's what. Once we're off the station I'll take you to The Illusive Man," _Oh please, drama queen much?_ "He'll explain everything, I promise."

She lowered her pistol and looked to Wilson, who was cowering behind a crate. "You can come out now; I'm not going to shoot you." He rose and limped back towards them, "I have no idea where I'm going, you do. That means that you two are my ticket off this station."

"Fine by me Shepard, now let's go," Taylor drew his rifle and gestured.

"Oh no, you go first."

The two walked off ahead of her, leading her into a large warehouse area.

The mechs were everywhere, firing on them the second they walked into the room. Shepard took cover and returned fire while Taylor moved in close for the kills. Wilson was largely useless, the few times he did fire; he missed, flinching so hard that the bullets had more chance of hitting Taylor than they did of the mechs.

The mechs taken care of, Shepard moved through the crates and up another ramp. Wilson and Taylor stopped by one of the doors, "This is the shuttle bay."

Shepard looked the other way and saw another door, "What's that way?"

"Nothing you need to worry about."

"You see," Shepard started walking towards the other door, "Whenever someone tells me there's a place I'm not supposed to go, do you know what my first instinct is?"

Taylor was following her, reluctantly. "There's nothing through there Shepard, really."

"Well it won't take long to find out then, will it?"

She toggled the door and it opened to reveal a set of mechs. Seconds later it was over, revealing a large open space with a desk and a computer terminal. _Bingo._ She headed to the computer and downloaded all the data she could. "Alright Taylor, take me to your leader."

As he led her back she smiled to herself, _Always wanted to say that._

The door cycled open and revealed a small antechamber, leading right into the shuttle.

"C'mon, though here," Wilson was rushing ahead of them, frantic to get out, "We're almost at the," The door cycled open and a woman walked through. Shepard's eyes went wide and she went for her pistol, trying to step to one side to get a clear view on Miranda, "Miranda!" Wilson sounded just as shocked as her, "But you were…"

Miranda fired, the bullet blowing out the back of Wilson's head. Bits of brain and skull bounced off Shepard's armour and Wilson's body dropped to the floor.

"Dead?" Miranda smirked.

"What the hell are you doing?" Taylor was looking from the body to Miranda in shock. Shepard kept her pistol trained on the woman.

"My job. Wilson betrayed us all."

"Even if you're sure, did he deserve that welcome?" Shepard was watching Miranda's eyes, where the first sign of movement would come. If the woman raised her pistol Shepard was dropping her, simple as.

"He sabotaged the security systems, killed my staff, and he would have killed us."

"You sure about that Miranda?" Taylor still didn't seem sure, "We've known Wilson for years, what if you're wrong?"

"I'm never wrong;" Shepard frowned. It sounded like Miranda really believed it too. Shepard had met her kind before. They were usually the fanatics she ended up having to put down. "I thought you'd have learnt that by now Jacob."

"If you say so, what's our next step?"

"We get on the shuttle and go," She turned to Shepard, "My boss wants to speak to you."

"You mean The Illusive Man? I know you work for Cerberus."

"Ah," Shepard almost smiled as she saw the change on Miranda's face. "Jacob, I should have known your conscience would get the better of you."

"Lying to the Commander isn't the way to get her to join our cause." She wasn't sure she liked any of them, but at least Taylor was being honest with.

Miranda sighed and holstered her pistol, "Very well, since we're getting everything out in the open. Yes, Jacob and I work for Cerberus. This station was designed with the sole intent of bringing you back from the dead."

"Back from the dead?"

"You died Shepard, two years ago over Alchera your ship was shot down, and you fell into the atmosphere. You don't walk away from something like that."

"So I died." Shepard took a breath and filed the information, "Okay, I can deal with that. So now what? I belong to you?"

"Now you're alive, so as far as the Council and the Earth are concerned you belong to yourself. However you owe a debt to Cerberus, which means that at the very least, I'm taking you to meet The Illusive Man. You can work everything else out there." She put her hands on her hips and stared at Shepard, "Now anything else while the place comes down around us?"

"I've had enough of this station to last a lifetime." Shepard holstered her own pistol and spread her arms, "Let's go."

* * *

><p>The shuttle was comfortable enough, but Shepard couldn't exactly get comfortable. Her body still felt odd to her, like she wasn't quite sitting in her own skin, but some bizarre puppet that she was controlling from the inside. She watched her own hand as it glowed faintly in the light from outside. The circuitry beneath her skin was moving with her muscles.<p>

Miranda's voice snapped her out of her introspection, "Before you meet with The Illusive Man, we need to ask a few questions to evaluate your condition."

"Come on Miranda, more tests? Shepard took down those mechs without any trouble, that has to be good enough." _Trial by fire eh?_

"It's been two years since the attack." Miranda was talking to Taylor, but Shepard was still trying to wrap her mind around those numbers. _Two years._ "The Illusive Man needs to know that Shepard's personality and memories are still intact, ask the questions."

"I've been gone that long?"

Jacob leaned forwards, "Two years and twelve days, and you were on an operating table for most of it."

"The sooner we start the sooner we can be done," Miranda fixed her with a glare, "Start with personal history."

"Okay, records show you were a colony kid, lost your parents when the slavers hit Mindoir," Shepard leaned back and rubbed her forehead, straight into it with the worst of her memories. "You enlisted and you survived a Thresher Maw attack that wiped out the rest of your team, do you remember that?"

_Of course I remember it you stupid pompous sycophant. _"I lost a lot of friends that day," She made sure she met Taylor's eyes, wondering whether he would be able to hold it. "Going through something like that changes you, it can break you," She smirked as he looked away, _It did break me, but no need to tell them that._ "If you let it," She ended.

He was still staring at his omni tool "I read the report, fifty marines died on Akuze, you were the only one who lived," _I don't think you'd know anything about that sort of event. Reading about it isn't nearly enough._ "Satisfied Miranda?"

"Almost," _I doubt this woman's ever satisfied,_ Shepard thought, feeling a little vindictive,_ Whatever she's doing._ That mental image made her smile, unsmiling prissy operative trying to get her yayas, "Let's try something more recent, Virmire," _You don't get to talk about that._ "Where you destroyed Saren's cloning facility; you had to leave one of your squad behind to die in the blast."

"Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko was killed in the action;" She felt like punching the both of them. He died with honours, nothing as simple as 'killed in action,' "It was your call, why did you leave him behind?"

"I left a friend to die that day and I didn't do it casually, but I had to save as many people as I could, Kaidan gave his life for the rest of the team, without him I couldn't have stopped Saren, he died a hero." _And don't you forget it._

"I understand Commander and I wasn't judging your decision, everyone at Cerberus knows that cloning facility had to be destroyed." _Suddenly I wish I hadn't done it at all._

Miranda wasn't letting her go that easily. "Shepard, think back to the Citadel, after the Alliance saved the Destiny Ascension and killed Saren what happened next?"

"Humanity was offered a spot on the Council," It wasn't that hard to remember. For her it had only been six months earlier. "I recommended Captain Anderson for the position." Suddenly she wondered whether she had made the right choice, maybe she would be able to find out.

"Yes, Captain Anderson is now Councillor Anderson, though from what I hear he preferred life in the military." _I don't care what he preferred, is he doing a good job?_

"Still," Maybe Taylor would know what was happening, "Good to know that the human council member isn't going to politics ahead of defence." _And now I wish I hadn't done anything. If Cerberus thinks it was a good idea, maybe everything I did was wrong._

"Your memory seems solid; there are other tests we really should run."

"Come on Miranda enough with the quizzes, the memories are there, and I can vouch for Shepard's combat skills personally." _How kind of you._

"I suppose you're right, we'll have to hope that The Illusive Man accepts our little field test as evidence enough."

_Is that dissension in the ranks I see? The Illusive Man may not trust you, and you certainly don't trust each other._

The shuttle carried on through space, Miranda and Taylor apparently deciding that they weren't going to disclose any more information.

_Two years. Where is everyone? Did they get out alive? Liara, Joker, Tali, Garrus, Williams, Wrex, Chakwas, Adams, Pressly, my crew, where are they?_

**AN:-** As with last time, it's probably going to take a couple of chapters to really break free of the confining opening. Similar to ME1, until you get out of the first level everything is very restrictive.


	4. Chapter 3: The Illusive Man

**AN:-** Told you, another chapter within the day (sort of). I have enough dialogue to maybe get the next one done as well, but I may have to leave that til tomorrow.

**Chapter Three: The Illusive Man**

The room they led her into was simple enough. Several banks of consoles and desks, completely deserted besides the three of them. Miranda had pointed out the way down to The Illusive Man, then gone straight to working on one of the consoles. Taylor was looking out a window at a nearby galaxy, ignoring the two of them.

Shepard found a small viewing station, and examined herself. Her cheeks were deeper, the bones of her face much more pronounced. Her features were as she remembered them, mostly. Her nose had been altered a little and her mouth looked a little bigger than she remembered, but then when was the last time she had stared at herself quite so hard? Perhaps her face had always looked like this, but she had forgotten.

At the very least, she knew the scars were new. Deep lines carved into her face, a faint orange glow beneath them. Her skin was much paler, and her hair looked dirty and unkempt. Her eyes didn't seem quite right, something in them not reflecting the light enough, or perhaps reflecting it too much. Miranda had said she burned up in atmosphere, she probably hadn't even had eyes when they first got her.

_It's like looking at an old holovid, it's me, but it's not me. How am I supposed to get used to this face?_

She pushed away from the viewscreen and went through the door Miranda had pointed out. Walking down some stairs she found herself in a tiny room with a blue circle in the centre. _Of course The Illusive Man wouldn't be here in person, I'm going to spend some time talking to a hologram, how exciting._

She stepped into the blue circle and waited. Orange light scanned her from head to foot and a grid erected itself round her. _Nice light show, but where's the payoff?_ Eventually an image of The Illusive Man coalesced in front of her.

"Commander Shepard."

"Illusive Man," His image was sharp enough to let her know that either hologram technology had made impressive leaps, or he was using cutting edge tech. She made sure to keep her face blank. "I thought we'd be meeting face to face."

"A necessary precaution. Not unusual for people who know what you and I know."

_Very nice,_ She recognised the techniques. _Compare us from the beginning, make me think we're the same, look past the differences and trust him implicitly. But that's already a difference between us. I trust people who are honest, not people who put on a front. _"You might be the reason I'm still alive, but that doesn't mean I trust you."

"You need to put your personal feelings aside. Humanity is up against the greatest threat of our brief existence."

"The Reapers." _Might as well play his game._

"Good to see your memory's still intact. How are you feeling?"

"You need to earn the right to ask me those kinds of questions."

He nodded his head and took a drag on his cigarette. She had no doubt that it wasn't real tobacco and nicotine. Everything about this conversation was a show, cheap theatre. "Cerberus isn't as evil as you believe, you and I are on the same side. We just have different methods."

_I don't murder innocent people to achieve my goal. I don't torture and cause pain. So I suppose it's true enough. _"Cut to the chase, what are the Reapers doing that made you decide to bring me back?"

"We're at war, no one wants to admit it but humanity is under attack. While you've been sleeping entire colonies have been disappearing, human colonies," He pushed himself out of his seat, no doubt having researching this entire speech to the point where it was routine. "We believe it's someone working for the Reapers, just as Saren and the geth aided Sovereign. You've seen it yourself, you bested all of them, that's just one reason we chose you."

"Why are you involved in this?" She asked, "What reason would Ceberus have to care about such remote colonies.

"Protection." He took another drag, "Protection of humanity's interests. That's all we do at Cerberus, despite what anyone else might tell you."

"And the bases I ran across while I was hunting Saren?"

She was glad for the sharpness of the image; it let her see every crease of his face as he considered her, "Rogue groups, nothing to do with me."

_I bet. _She dropped it, no point making him angry so early. She had a lot in reserve; she could take her time in revealing it. "Why would anyone be attacking human colonies?

"It's not quite attacking Shepard, not in the traditional sense. They've been harvesting the people from these places. Taking them somewhere and disappearing, leaving no trace behind."

"If this is such a threat to human systems, then why aren't the Alliance doing anything?"

"After the Battle of the Citadel, humanity needed to rebuild its fleet. Worlds needed to be protected, central worlds. The Alliance is stretched too thin; it's up to Cerberus to step into the gap."

"Why me?" The point she had wanted answered most. "You spent billions on resurrecting me, when you could have been raising an army."

He chuckled, "I didn't need an army." That made her shiver a little. The way he spoke, he could well have already had one, or he could have been bluffing. "You are worth more than an army. You fought the Reapers and lived, you fought Saren and lived, you fought the geth and lived. Humanity knows us, but they know us as terrorists and murderers. They know you as a lot more, you are a symbol to people, you can be a symbol of hope for them."

She sighed and lowered her arms, "If what you say is true, if the Reapers are behind this, I'd consider helping you." _But I'm going to need a lot more than simply your word._

She didn't even have to tell him that, "I'd be disappointed if you accepted any of this without seeing for yourself. I have a shuttle ready to take you to Freedom's Progress, the latest colony to be abducted. Miranda and Jacob will brief you."

_Of course they will._ "Miranda killed Wilson in cold blood, Taylor's just a gun for hire, and you expect me to trust these people?"

"Wilson was one of my best agents, but he was a traitor," _He's so sure as well. Both of them, fanatics, so deeply committed to their cause they can't even consider when they might be wrong._ "Miranda did exactly what I expected of her, and she saved your life in more ways than one." He stubbed out the cigareete and blew the last stream of smoke out. "Jacob's a soldiers, one of the best. He's never fully trusted me, but he's always been honest about it." _If he's never trusted you, then I certainly trust him a little more._ "You'll be just fine with them, for now."

"So is this a volunteer job, or am I being volunteered?"

"You always have a choice Shepard, if you don't find the evidence we're both looking for we can part ways." _How do I know it won't be so easy?_ "But first go to Freedoms Progress, find any clues you can, who's abducting the colonies, do they have any connection to the Reapers? I brought you back it's up to you to do the rest."

He image flickered, reverting to a normal hologram, the orange light shimmering lightly and then fading out. She started to rub her face, stopping when her hand scraped across a scar. _This is going to take some getting used to._ She stepped back from the circle and went back to the stairs. If she was going to get out from under the thumb of The Illusive Man she might as well do his mission and get it over with.

Miranda was still at her place by the console, and Jacob seemed to be preparing the shuttle. _Of course, they knew I'd take the mission, so they've been getting ready, probably since we arrived._

The thought made her grimace, but instead she put on her best 'meet the new folks' face and went over to Miranda.

"The Illusive Man is very impressed with you," She started, "I'm eager to see if you can live up to his expectations on this mission." She wasn't meeting Shepard's eyes, staring intently at the screen.

_Time to get this straight. _"I can't have anyone disobeying my commands when we get there."

"I know who I report to," _So do I, I was just talking to him, _"As long as you don't do anything to betray Cerberus I'll follow your orders."

_Exactly._

She sighed and tried for nice, it at least used to work, "I never got a chance to say how much I appreciated what the Lazarus project did for me."

"I just hope it was worth it, a lot of people lost their lives on that station."

_Nice doesn't work, let's go for hard, _"We have to work together here; your attitude isn't helping anything."

"I have the utmost respect for your abilities Shepard; it's your motivation that concern me." _There we go. Straight to the point at least,_ "I believe in what Cerberus stands for, only time will tell if you prove to be an asset or a liability to our cause."

_Give me time Miranda, I'll show you just how much of a liability I can be._

"The shuttles ready," Taylor walked back through, "We can go anytime."

"Let's get this over with."

* * *

><p><strong>File Open: Mission Debrief, The Lazarus Project<strong>

**Operative: Miranda Lawson**

**[File]**

Commander Shepard continues to intrigue me. During the past two years I have been studying the Commander's files extensively, but there are some things that cannot be brought across with only words. Even during the regeneration, when she was little more than a body, there was something about her which is intriguing.

Now she is alive she is something else. Her combat abilities are far above our projected norms. She is capable of assessing a situation and responding to it immediately, and has so far shown no mental dissonance when dealing with the changed situation. Militaristically speaking she should be more suited to our mission.

As for her true mental state, I still cannot be sure. The lack of inhibitors upon her still worries me, and her responses to some of the situations we encountered make me believe she may not cooperate fully. I am not sure I can convince her

**[Line Redacted]** I am not sure I can convince her** [/Line Redacted]**

I am certain that she can be persuaded into our organisation, though it may take more work than I anticipated in my initial report.

**[/File]**

**Signoff: Miranda Lawson**

**Send File: Transport Node Aleph 3**

**Logoff: Miranda Lawson**

**Purge Databank**

**Shutdown**

* * *

><p>The shuttle was just as boring as Shepard remembered it. Miranda and Taylor sat in awkward silence across from her as she continued to inspect her hand. It fascinated her, the same way her new face had fascinated her. So similar and yet so different. Her hand was thinner, and it felt stronger, if that was accurate.<p>

The view outside changed and they were moving past planets.

"We should be there shortly Shepard;" Shepard put her hand down and looked over at Miranda, "The Illusive Man put us under your command. Do you have any orders?"

She considered, while it would make sense to just do what The Illusive Man wanted, she still felt the little itch at the back of her head, the one which had made her save the rachni and the biotic cultists. The urge to always do the right thing first. "Our first priority is to look for survivors."

"That's unlikely Commander," Shepard fixed her with a glare. "We should be focused on what The Illusive Man wants us to do. We need to find evidence of who took them, not who's still there."

"Miranda, before we left I asked if we were going to have a problem with you taking my orders. You told me that you knew where those orders came from. That's me."

The operative leaned forwards, "Now listen here Shepard, I brought you back."

"Exactly, you brought me back. Me. Because I do things my way. Now I will find who took the colonists, and I will stop them, and then I'll go and punch out the cosmic horrors from beyond the veil of time and space that are looking to destroy the entire galaxy. But I will do it my way and I'll tell you something else," She stared Miranda down, "If you want to be part of that team, then you will do things my way as well."

Miranda bit her lip hard, then took a deep breath and leaned back, the picture of composure, "No one was left at the other colonies, they were completely deserted."

"You think that matters to me at all?" Shepard leaned back as well, "If there are people alive we'll find them. They are the priority."

"Understood Shepard."

**AN:-** The mission reports are going to become a thing (I like things, they're like plans only better) Actually, in general people writing letters like that are going to become a thing. Anyone who's played the Shadow Broker will probably get why.

This chapter's a bit shorter than usual. Basically I just wanted to get the Illusive Man bits over with and get onto Freedom's Progress. After the next chapter we'll hopefully get into the bits where I just plain make stuff up instead of following the game.

Also, watching Teen Titans while trying to write Mass Effect fan fiction is not good for the mental state. Funny though.


	5. Chapter 4: Freedom's Progress

**AN:-** Nice long chapter. I've got a deadline on Friday so I won't be updating until after that unfortunately.

**Chapter Four: Freedom's Progress**

They landed on the outermost landing pad. Their scanners had been able to pick up signatures of mechs in the centre of the compound, and Shepard made the decision to land further out. No point dropping them into the middle of a firefight, especially when as far as she was concerned their primary objective was reconnaissance, not fighting.

They moved onto the courtyard, Taylor and Miranda proving efficient at clearing the courtyard. There didn't seem to be much room for exploration, the walkways designed to make movement between the various shelters as easy as possible. Shepard waited until Taylor and Miranda had both nodded to her before making her way to the first prefab shelter.

It was completely empty, food still left on the tables, computers open to personal log entries that were still running. Shepard stopped by one of the computers and drew her pistol, finding it oddly comforting in the deep silence. "This is giving me the creeps." Jacob said from behind her.

She moved on through the shelter, checking under the tables and in the corners. She had seen children hiding in the strangest places; she had once been a child hiding in the strangest place. It wasn't unreasonable to think that just because all the adults had been taken, maybe someone else had survived.

_Projecting a little, aren't you Shepard?_ For a long time, her inner voice of reason had held two tones, one from Liara, and the other from Doctor Chakwas. Now she heard the old doctor's British accent going through her head. _It's not uncommon for survivors of trauma, such as yourself, to try and find symmetry in everyday occurrences. In this case not exactly an everyday event, but a colony attacked, its people taken, for slavery or worse? It's no wonder you're feeling a little disorientated._

Not so long ago, she would have shut the voice out and tried to carry on regardless, now she welcomed it. It reminded her that she wasn't completely insane. Given what had happened to her most recently, it reminded her that if was even thinking about things like this, she was probably still human.

Through the door at the other end of the shelter she found a walkway that led along and down into a small courtyard littered with boxes and machinery. _This was a real colony, an established home, not just some settlers trying to make it._ Being there brought it home. There wouldn't have just been hardened miners scraping out a living, this would have been a place for families, people trying to make a new life for themselves.

At the other end of the courtyard they found more walkways and shelters. It seemed like some of the settlers had been able to set up makeshift blockades, either that or it had been whoever abducted them, corralling the settlers to make it easier to take them.

"I've got readings, mechs." Miranda was keeping her distance, "Someone must have activated them, and I can't tell if they're distinguishing friend and foe."

Shots rang out and the ground at their feet spat up in chunks. "There's your answer," Shepard drew the sniper rifle she had been given and lined up a shot, firing as soon as she saw a faceplate. Close enough that she didn't even have to account for wind or drop, the kind of shot she loved.

Unfortunately, the heat sink only gave her one shot, and she had to spend a second cycling the action while Miranda and Taylor reacted. It was only a minor victory that she had been so much faster to react than them, and as she slid another heat sink in she hoped there was some way to improve the efficiency of the weapons.

She shot the last one of the mechs straight through the torso, watching as the arms clawed inwards, giving the mech an almost human reaction to the death. It continued to spark as she led the team over to the next shelter. The sniper rifle safe on her back again, she drew her pistol and blew the mech's head off.

"Shepard, there are life forms beyond that door." Miranda was frowning, "They're not human, but it would take a while to scan other available lifeforms."

"Are you sure they're actually alive though, not husks or geth?"

"Definitely organic."

"Then we'll take our chances," Shepard stood next to the door and pointed them into position behind her, "And no shooting unless I shoot, even if one of them fires first."

"Shepard, don't be ridiculous."

"Do you want to go back and wait in the shuttle Miranda?"

The Australian still grumbling, Shepard opened the door and stepped inside, pistol raised and immediately trained onto a small group of quarians who were huddled in the middle of the room. They stood when the humans entered and one of them drew an assault rifle.

"Stop right there." His confident tone somewhat spoiled by how much his hands were shaking.

"Prazza," Shepard's eyes went wide and she stared as a smaller quarian stepped between them and pushed the male's weapon down. "You said you'd let me handle this," The quarian turned to greet her properly and all doubts went from Shepard's mind, the way she moved, the voice, the clothing different but similar enough. The head tilt as Tali realised something was wrong, "Wait… Shepard?" She sounded about as shocked as Shepard felt, and while they stood staring blankly at each other the brash one stepped forwards again.

"I'm not taking any chances with Cerberus operatives."

Miranda paced from behind Shepard and got them all in her sights. "Put those weapons down."

Tali and Shepard were still locked in their own little world, half stepping forwards to greet each other, "Shepard is that… you're alive?"

Shepard nodded, "It's me Tali, I'm really here."

"No," She shook her head and stepped back, closer to her people, "Shepard you died over Alchera, it can't be you, this isn't possible.

"Remember when I gave you that geth data Tali? We were all at dinner, we'd just pushed back a geth incursion on the Outer Rim. We told you that we needed you with us, and you said you would wait before returning. Did you complete your Pilgrimage? Did the data help?"

"Yes it did," Her shoulders slumped and she turned back to her squad, "Prazza, weapons down, this is definitely Commander Shepard."

Prazza lowered his gun, but didn't quick leave it down, "Why is your old Commander working for Cerberus?"

"I don't know," Tali seemed to be deliberately avoiding Shepard's eyes now, "Maybe we should ask."

"I did die Tali," It felt easy to admit it to the young quarian. Last time they had seen each other, Tali had been only just starting to find the confidence to stand up for herself, now here she was leading a team by all accounts. "Cerberus spent two years rebuilding me, they want me to investigate attacks on human colonies."

Tali was silent long enough that Prazza decided he would talk instead, "Likely story, no organisation would commit so many resources to bring back one soldier."

"You haven't seen Shepard in action Prazza, trust me, it is money well spent." She sighed and looked up at Shepard again, "Perhaps we can work together," She was definitely forcing the professional tone. _What happened in the last two years, what did I do to deserve this?_ "We're here looking for a young quarian named Veetor, he was here on Pilgrimage."

"Isn't that a little strange," Taylor had lowered his gun and was standing at Shepard's side. Miranda still had her gun out, and was staying where she was. "A quarian visiting a remote human colony?"

"Quarians can choose where they go on Pilgrimage. Veetor liked the idea of helping a small settlement, he was always… nervous in crowds." Shepard noted the pause, and wondered quite what it meant.

"She means that he was unstable, combine that with damage to his suits CO2 scrubbers and an infection from open air exposure, and he's likely delirious."

_Brilliant, a quarian squad here to find another quarian, who is probably delirious and sick._

"When he saw us landing he hid in a warehouse on the far side of town, we suspect he also programmed the mechs to attack anything that moved."

_Well that explains things, sort of. _"Veetor's the only one who can tell us what happened here, we should work together to find him." Taylor looked to Shepard, who nodded.

"Good idea," She seemed so much more comfortable talking to the mercenary she had never met, Shepard couldn't help but feel hurt. "You'll need two teams to get past the drones anyway."

The quarians had something to say about it. "Now we're working with Cerberus?"

"No Prazza, you're working for me, if you can't follow orders, go wait on the ship," Shepard couldn't resist shooting a lance back to Miranda, who was looking daggers at Tali. _I guess she learned a little more than engines travelling with me._ "Head for the warehouse through the centre of the colony, we'll circle around the far side and draw off some of the drones to clear you a path."

Shepard tried one more time, "Your people really don't like Cerberus what did I miss?" At least dealing in simple facts and history should make it easier for Tali to talk to her.

Unfortunately it was one of the other quarians who answered. "They killed our people, infiltrated our flotilla, and tried to blow up one of our ships."

"That's not how I'd have explained it exactly, it was nothing personal." _Now Miranda talks, right when it's least helpful. Of course._

"We can argue over who killed who later," Taylor stepped in before she had a chance to, _Doesn't anyone trust me anymore? I used to sway armies with a single word._ "Right now we're got a job to do."

"Agreed, we work together to get to Veetor."

Shepard managed a thin smile, feeling the skin of her face stretching unusually. She realised she hadn't smiled properly since she'd been brought back, "Make sure to keep in radio contact."

Will do, good luck Shepard, whatever happens…" There was a long pause while the other quarians walked off, and Shepard suddenly wished they were alone, able to talk properly about what was going on, "It's good to have you back."

Tali turned and marched off, drawing her shotgun and slipping into the combat stance Shepard had seen so many times before. When the door had cycled closed, she raised her own pistol and pointed to the other door, "Alright, let's get going."

Tali and the quarians went one way, leaving the far door for Shepard and her team. She led them through and onto another walkway. "Looks like we have incoming," Miranda said dryly as a trio of rocket drones soared overhead and opened fire. Shepard launched herself behind cover as Miranda raised a shield around herself.

Shepard spent a second staring at the operative, wondering how exactly she was able to generate such a powerful biotic field on tap, then synched up her omni-tool and jumped up, disrupting the targeting on one of the drones and allowing Taylor to shoot it.

"We don't have time for this," She called across to Miranda, who nodded and waved her hand. The drones slammed against the far wall and kept trying to push back until they were crushed into scrap.

"When we're done you're going to tell me exactly how you got biotics that strong," Shepard told her as they regrouped and moved through another shelter.

Miranda looked like she was on the verge of answering when Tali came on the comm, "Shepard, it's Prazza, he went rogue, took his men in, there's heavy mechs in there," There was a rustling sound and a volley of gunshots set her teeth on edge, "They're being torn apart, you've got to help them!"

"Should have expected this," Miranda drawled.

"Shut up Miranda," Shepard cycled the door locks, "We're helping those people."

"They're not people, they're aliens."

Shepard felt like slapping her, but a gigantic mech below her was emptying an assault gun into one of the quarians. She fired up her omni-tool and tried to hack into the mech, but it was shielded. "I need you to bring down those shields, can either of you do anything?"

They both flared, Taylor taking a while to heat up. Miranda lobbed a flare of blue and the shields flickered. Taylor was a moment behind her, and his own flare brought the shields further down. "Keep up fire, I'm going in." The two of them opened up behind her as she vaulted the handrail and sprinted to cover behind a crate.

As far as she could see, the quarians nearest to her were dead. She leaned her head back against the crate and took a deep breath, drawing her pistol and readying the disrupt program on her omni-tool. _I've been back a day, and already I've seen so many die._

Her comm crackled, "Now Shepard."

She spun and triggered the override, the mech shuddering and turning towards her. _I did not think this through. _The assault gun whirred and her cover started to disintegrate around her as rounds flared past her. "Need some cover fire people."

"What exactly do you think we're doing Shepard?"

"Another flare, something!"

She heard a scraping sound and risked a look, to see the mech flailing back, its guns still going. A rocket missed her cover by mere feet and she recoiled automatically. _This cover is not going to last._ She launched herself sideways, in the vague direction of one of the prefab shelters, and was surprised when she made it in almost one jump.

_I need to ask Miranda what they did to me._

She rolled into cover and checked her omni-tool, launching out and disrupting the mech again, watching in joy as it tried to find purchase and slid to one knee, the assault gun stopping as it pressed into the floor. The rocket arm slid down as well, and a rocket fired into the floor, sending shockwaves and bits of rubble over her. When she looked up again she saw the mech in bits in the middle of the courtyard.

"Very nice Shepard," Miranda was coming towards her, holstering her pistol and smirking, "Your knack for improvisation was not over exaggerated."

"Shut up and secure the buildings." The look of annoyance on Miranda's face almost made everything worth it, and then she was back to reality, where the quarians were dying or dead. "Find Tali, find Veetor."

They moved off to carry out her orders, Shepard choosing the biggest of the shelters to search first.

She found a quarian sitting by a bank of computers, which were showing views from all around the compound. He would have been able to watch them every step of the way. "Miranda, Taylor," She spoke quietly into her comm, stepping slowly over the piled cables to get closer to the screens.

He was babbling to himself, "Monsters coming back, mechs will protect, safe from swarms, have to hide, no monsters, no swarms, no no no no no."

"Veetor?" She asked quietly.

"No, Veetor not here, swarms can't find, monsters coming, have to hide."

She closed her eyes and turned aside. _Always the same. _She had seen video of herself returning from Akuze, hailed as the glorious hero. She could barely remember it herself. Only death and destruction, and a deep rooted desire to hide, "Nobody's gonna hurt you anymore." She said, so quiet no one could have heard.

"What's going on here?" Miranda was right behind her, "Get him up."

Shepard waved her omni-tool and the computer screens shut down. Veetor stared at them for a moment, then seemed to come to his senses, and spun his chair round to look at them, his head tilted warily to one side. "You're human, where did you hide, how come they didn't find you?"

"Who?"

"The monsters, the swarms, they took everyone."

"We're not survivors Veetor," _Not this time._ "We just got here."

"You don't know, you'd didn't see," He stood and gestured at his screens, "But I see everything." He tapped some commands into his omni-tool and the screens sprang to life, colonists frozen in place. Shepard frowned, wondering what was wrong, and after a second realised that the image was in motion, but the people weren't.

"Looks like security footage," Miranda was watching it intently, "He must have pieced it together manually."

"What the hell is that?" Shepard shared Taylor's concern as an alien she'd never seen before walked by on the screen, pushing some sort of pod thing before it."

"My God," Already, Shepard was realising that for Miranda to sound shocked must take a lot, "I think it's a Collector."

She asked the obvious question, "Is that some kinda alien?"

"They're a species from somewhere beyond the Omega 4 Relay, only a few people have ever seen one in person." The Omega 4 Relay she knew from basic orientation in basic. Most relays weren't opened, for fear of finding something on the other side that they didn't want to. The Omega 4 Relay was one such relay, but she hadn't thought it had ever been opened.

"They usually work through intermediaries like slavers or hired mercs," Taylor took up the explanation, "If they're involved with the Reapers somehow it could explain what happened to the colonies." _Since I'm seeing evidence right here and now that the Collectors took the colonists, I'm calling this one confirmed._

"The Collectors have advanced technology. They could have a weapon that disables an entire settlement at once."

Veetor was mumbling again, staring at his hands, "The seeker swarms, no one can hide, the seekers find you, freeze you, then the monsters take you away."

"What happened next?"

"The monsters took the people onto the ship, and then they left, the ship flew away, but they'll be back for me, no one escapes." He was nearly incomprehensible now, hunched over and repeating himself, "No one escapes, no one escapes."

"I think that's probably all we're getting out of him Commander."

"We appreciate what you told us," Shepard wasn't sure about reaching out to him, her time with Tali had taught her a little about physical contact among quarians. "You were very helpful." They turned to leave, but he suddenly jerked his head up again, talking faster than before, his omni-tool flaring.

"I studied them, the monsters, the swarms; I recorded them with my omni tool, lots of reading, electromagnetic, dark energy."

"We need to get this data to The Illusive Man," Miranda stepped forwards and met Shepard's eyes, "Grab the quarian and call the shuttle to come pick us up."

"No," Shepard turned to face her fully, taking a half step to put herself between Veetor and the operative, "He's going back to the Flotilla, back to his people."

"I told you that if you did anything to betray Cerberus I'd stop you."

"This isn't betraying Cerberus, this is showing compassion. We'll take his data, but he needs help."

"You are not getting in the way Shepard, Veetor is coming with us."

"What!" Shepard hadn't even noticed the door cycling, and now Tali was striding towards them. Shepard knew her body language well enough to know that she was very angry. "Veetor is injured, he needs treatment, not an interrogation."

"We won't hurt him," Every time Miranda stepped too far, Taylor seemed to be there with a justification, "We just need to see if he knows anything else. He'll be returned unharmed."

Tali turned to stare at Taylor, but Miranda got there first.

"Your people tried to betray us once already, if we give him to you we'll never get the intel we need."

"Prazza was an idiot, and he and his men paid for it," Tali turned to Shepard, so clearly looking for the support they had had once. "You're welcome to take Veetor's omni-tool data, but please just let me take him."

Shepard glared at Miranda until she backed down, "He's traumatised, and he needs medical care," She was speaking directly to Miranda, ignoring how Tali seemed to be perking up, "Tali will give us the omni-tool data and take him to the Flotilla."

"Understood Commander."

"Thank you Shepard," The gratitude was real, and for a moment Shepard was back at the head of the Normandy's dining table, and a scared young quarian was thanking her for geth data, her voice almost trembling with emotion, "I'm glad you're still the one giving the orders."

"Good luck out there," Shepard did step forwards, laying her arm on Tali's forearm, a gesture that was only allowed between the two of them. "If I find anything that can help you I'll let you know." Tali nodded to her, then went over to Veetor and delicately led him away.

The operatives were staring at her, but she ignored them as she downloaded the data and signalled the shuttle. "We're ready for pickup."

**AN:-** Trying to puzzle out quite how this is going to work. In my last story Shepard met Cerberus during the hunt for Kahoku and Toombes, so I think that she would basically hate them so much, but still, is forced to work with them.

So I want to bring that across, just how much she hates them, but I don't want it to become a constant Cerberus bashing story. Basically as of next chapter we leave Cerberus behind and start focusing on the crew again.

Please read and review.


	6. Chapter 5: Rebirth

**AN:-** Essays are in and nothing to do til the 23rd, so lots of writing I think. Hope you enjoy the latest chapter. Also, some significant rewrites last chapter. Not many lines changed, but some of Miranda's dialogue which it was pointed out to me really wasn't right.

While I've got you here, go and read ghost.713's excellent Mass Effect fanfiction Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained. (Or anything else on their page) It's one of the best, and reading it would be a much better use of your time than sitting through the crap I'm about to pour onto the page (page? web? document? confused)

Also, go and read anything by sinvraal.

Both of the above are much better writers than me, and if you haven't read them already, go and do so now.

**Chapter Five: Rebirth**

"Shepard, good work on Freedom's Progress." She stood before The Illusive Man again, staring him down through the hologram link. "The quarians forwarded their findings from Veetor's debriefing. No new data, but it's a surprising olive branch, given our history. You and I have different methods, but I can't argue with your results."

"You ever think about playing nice once in a while?" She snarked.

"Diplomacy is great when it works, but difficult when everyone already perceives you as a threat." _Oh really? And why would everyone consider you a threat before you even begin?_ Strange how everyone in Cerberus seemed completely able to distance themselves from the acts of terrorism they had committed. "But more importantly you confirmed the Collectors are behind the abductions."

"Why do I get the feeling you knew about them already?"

"I had my suspicions, but I needed proof. The Collectors are enigmatic at best; they periodically travel to the Terminus Systems, looking to gather seemingly unimportant items or specimens, usually in exchange for their technology. When their transactions are complete they disappear as quickly as they arrived, back beyond the unmapped Omega 4 Relay. Until now we've had no evidence of direct aggression by the Collectors."

"You son of a bitch."

"Excuse me?"

"Don't talk to me about suspicions, and proof. I've seen enough to know how you work, and you wouldn't even have sent me to Freedom's Progress if you hadn't known, beyond all reasonable doubt, that we were going to find the Collectors."

"Ah, Shepard, you need to learn to control that temper of yours. It might have served you well to bludgeon through red tape back in the old days, but your caveman tactics can't help here."

"And maybe if I was trying to negotiate with you then I'd watch my language, but people have died because you thought it would do a better job of convincing me."

"The fact of the matter is that we both now know for sure that the Collector's are involved, and I know you how you work Shepard. Now you know the extent of the problem you aren't going to leave and abandon the galaxy, are you?"

"How do you know the Reapers are involved in this?"

"The patterns are there, buried in the data. The Council and the Alliance want to believe the Reaper threat died with Sovereign, but you and I know better. I won't wait until the Reapers are on the march; we need to take the fight to them.2

She watched him closely, wishing that there was some way to read him. His artificial eyes gave nothing away, and his body language was carefully controlled, every movement designed to give off the impression that he wanted. "If this is a war, I'll need an army." She told him, "Or a really good team." _Maybe there's a chance._

"I've already compiled a list of soldiers, scientists and mercenaries; you'll get dossiers on the best of them. Finding them, and convincing them to work with you could be a challenge, but you're a natural leader." Her omni-tool beeped at her as the files downloaded, _Cute trick_. "I'll continue to track the Collectors, when they make their next appearance, I'll notify you and your team, be ready."

"I'm still a SPECTRE," She reminded him, "I'm going to take this to Council."

"That's your prerogative, if you think it'll do any good. But you've been dead two years Shepard, and they tried to bury everything you dug up."

"And what about my old team? They were the best, and I'd trust them much more than I can trust you." She couldn't help being confrontational, it was probably something he was doing deliberately to infuriate her, or maybe just the memory of everything Cerberus had done was weighing heavy on her.

"They scattered after you died." He stubbed out another cigarette, "Ashley Williams went back into the military, got promoted I believe, and her file is too well classified for me to risk bringing her on board. Garrus Vakarian dropped completely off the grid, Urdnot Wrex in on Tuchanka, and he won't be leaving anytime soon. Tali Zorah might be a possibility, but Cerberus and the Flotilla aren't exactly on the best of terms."

He paused while he took out another cigarette and lit it. He clearly knew all about her and Liara, he was dragging it out, maybe to teach her who was in charge, maybe just as a petty irritation because she had accused him. "Doctor T'soni works for the Shadow Broker now, and if she comes on board your ship, you lose my backing, and trust me when I saw you don't want that."

"Fine," Shepard crossed her arms, "We'll be ready."

"Before you go, I've found a pilot I think you might like; I hear he's one of the best." He smiled, but even through the hologram it looked cold. "Someone you can trust." His image was already fading, and she was a little surprised that he hadn't rigged it so his smile went last, like a demented Cheshire Cat.

"Hey Commander," She whirled round to see Joker walking towards her. He had an odd gait, but he was walking without the aid of his crutches or leg braces. "Just like old times huh?"

* * *

><p>He led her through the Cerberus compound, clearly sensing that she would rather walk with him than with Miranda and Taylor. He was filling her in on recent developments. "It all fell apart without you Commander; everything you stirred up, the Council just wanted it gone. The team was broken up, records sealed and I was grounded," She reached out rested a hand his shoulder. Flying was everything to him, the only thing he could do without feeling like his disability was getting in his way. "The Alliance took away the one thing that mattered to me, hell yeah I joined Cerberus."<p>

She squeezed his shoulder and he looked shocked, then smiled at her, the same old lopsided grin, "Two years Commander. You did exactly the same thing back then."

"Hey, only feels like a day for me."

"I know but," He sighed and put his own hand on top of hers, "I can't tell you how good it is to have you back Commander."

"You going soft on me Joker?" It was a weak attempt to break the tension, but she knew he needed it. He had never been given to displays of emotion, and she needed to give him a way out. They could talk later, if he needed to.

"Not at all ma'am, just looking to score with the hero of the galaxy." It was too forced, and she thought she knew where it was coming from. She nearly asked where Ashley was, but managed to stop herself. The soldier would never have joined Cerberus, and she wouldn't have approved of Joker joining either. There was bad blood somewhere, and she was the cause.

"You really trust The Illusive Man?" She asked instead, letting her hand drop back to her side.

"Well I don't trust anyone who makes more than me, but they aren't all bad. Saved your life, let me fly," He had led her to an observation deck of some sort, and they stood in front of a long window. She could see an indistinct shape beyond the glass, too big to make out from end to end. "And there's this," He was reaching for a control panel by his waist, "They only told me last night."

Lights flickered on in the bay beyond, revealing a shape she knew well. Last time she had seen it had been at the Citadel, stepping onto it after a refuel and rearming. The batarians scattered and a colony saved, her crew together and finally given the time to grieve properly for Kaidan. Six months of patrolling after that and she hadn't once taken the time to step outside and get a good look at her command.

_Never again,_ She thought, letting her eyes roam hungrily along the ship's flanks. She had forgotten about her ship, the most important part of being a captain. It wasn't just the crew, the vessel itself needed her love, and not in a distracted sense, assuming it would always be there. She glanced across at Joker and knew he was thinking the same thing.

"She's not the same. Lots of improvements, some things they've changed I'm not too sure about," His eyes gave away his true feelings.

"It's good to be home though, right Joker?"

He nodded and leaned against the railing, looking like he had just been reunited with a lost lover. She almost felt like giving him a moment alone, but then he looked back to her and she knew he wanted her there too, or perhaps even needed her there. "Yeah," He said quietly, "Good to be home."

* * *

><p>Pre-flight was just as dull as she remembered, strolling back from where Joker was running through the checklist. There seemed to be even more finicky nonsense to deal with, and she was more than happy to leave Joker to deal with it. He seemed comfortable enough, settling into the pilots chair and smiling happily even as he was checking the levels on the mass effect drive.<p>

She walked back through her ship, forcing a smile onto her face as the Cerberus personnel nodded at her. Everything felt so similar, and yet just a little off. It wasn't quite _her_ ship. It looked like the Normandy, albeit a little bigger, it had the same systems, the same design, the same decking and shape, but it was another ship.

_It's just like a new pair of boots_, She tried to reassure herself, _Wear them in a bit, you'll feel differently._ But one way or the other, it was a Cerberus ship, and a Cerberus crew, and for all her denial, she wasn't sure that she wasn't Cerberus as well. Bought and paid for with her new life.

She saw Taylor and Miranda waiting by the CIC and pushed the thoughts from her mind, along with the smile. The second mission had convinced her. She didn't like either of them. Miranda was the enemy, very little other way to put it, and for all The Illusive Man's talk of Taylor questioning him, all Shepard had seen was the soldier kowtowing to Miranda.

_And don't I just bet that there's a whole story there I'm missing._

"Welcome aboard the new Normandy Commander." Miranda said by way of greeting.

"Looks nice enough. I'll wait 'til Joker can tell me if she flies the same."

"She'll fly better," Miranda insisted

Shepard smiled wanly, "Like I said, I'll wait for Joker's assessment."

The operative sighed and looked away, clearly frustrated with Shepard's continued uncooperativeness. "Very well, there are some other changes from the old Normandy that you should be made aware of. This is a vessel designed for fighting Reapers and Collectors, so naturally we've upgraded a little from the Alliance specs."

"I'm all ears."

"First off there's the cockpit, which has been expanded to allow more personnel at any one time. We're sure you had problems with that on the old Normandy." Shepard remembered them all crowded in as they bore down through the Ilos atmosphere, and nodded. "Also, it allowed for more hardware to be put in place."

"Can you tell me what?"

"I could, but what isn't classified is just simple navigation upgrades, better tracking systems," Miranda smiled at her, "Things have moved on a little in the last two years, and Cerberus always buys the best."

"But of course."

"The engine core has been entirely redesigned with all new tech, the stealth systems similarly updated, the entire ship is about twice the size. There's a science bay now, a new set of crew quarters, a proper armoury instead of one man down in the hold. And then there's this..."

She tapped a few controls and a blue globe appeared in front of the CIC. It hovered semi-transparent for a few seconds and then a solid block of lighter blue opened up in the middle, "Hello Commander." The solid block opened wider in time with the speech. _Subtle._

"A VI?" She looked to Miranda, who just looked back to the glowing ball.

"I am a fully functional Artificial Intelligence tasked with the running of the ship. My name is EDI"

"Joker's not going to like that. Most pilots don't like it when someone takes control of the helm away from them."

"I cannot fly the ship; I assist in battle and help with the everyday duties. At most I can assist with the navigational duties."

"I'm not sure I'm comfortable with having a fully fledged AI on board."

"You should not be concerned Commander, I have several blocks on my programming which prevent me from going, as you might call it 'rogue.'"

"Blocks on your programming, like what?"

"That information is classified."

"Seems like there's a lot around here that's classified."

"I'm sure you understand Commander, The Illu..."

"The Illusive Man's orders, yeah, I think I got that much." Shepard sighed and rubbed the back of her neck, "Well for what it's worth I'm glad you're here." A thought occurred to her, "Are you programmed with any sort of personality, can you develop opinions?"

"Of a sort, though usually they are based in logical analyses of data."

"That's fine. I'll talk to you later if that's okay."

"Signing you out Commander."

The hologram disappeared. "So what do you think Commander?"

"I think it's insane, but I don't see much other choice. What other personnel charges have you made around here?"

Miranda signalled one of the crewmembers, a young woman with red hair who came walking over, "Our experiences on other ships have shown us that having someone not directly part of the command structure with whom the Commander can talk about both personal and professional issues helps the everyday running of the ship. To that regard, may I introduce Yeoman Chambers."

"Hi," The redhead's voice was about a perky as Shepard had expected, "I'm Kelly Chambers, and like Miranda says I'm your Yeoman."

"If you would please refer to me as Operative Lawson." It sounded like this was an ongoing problem, and it cheered Shepard up immensely.

"It's great to meet you Chambers," She held out her hand and had it shaken vigorously.

"Please, call me Kelly; everyone does, well, everyone except Miranda."

"Operative Lawson," Miranda growled.

"I'm sure it's going to be a pleasure working with you Kelly." Shepard clasped her hands behind her back and smiled at Miranda, "So then, anything else I should know?"

Miranda gave her a glare that would have stripped paint, "Nothing else right now, but if you feel like talking, my door is always open."

"And I'll be sure to take advantage of that."

"Of course you will."

"Mr Taylor, Ms Chamber, Miranda," A muscle in the operative's jaw twitched, "It's been a pleasure, but I think I'll inspect the ship personally. And alone."

The three nodded at her, Taylor and Chambers looking at least a little cheerful about it, and walked off to the elevators. Shepard watched them go, then stared up at the CIC.

"You taking her out yet Commander?" Joker asked, startling her out of her reverie.

"How long have you been listening in Joker?"

"Since you left the cockpit."

"I assume it all works the same way?"

"Absolutely, you choose the destination, I send the Normandy on her way."

"Ah yes, with EDI's help I assume?"

He growled at her, "Yes, with the help of a glowing coo..."

"Joker."

"Sorry Commander."

"And we're not jumping anywhere just yet, but take us out of here. We don't want to spend any longer on this station."

"Understood Commander."

"I'm going to tour the ship, see you when I get back upstairs."

"It's going to take a while, this thing is much bigger than the old _Normandy._ You've got four levels just from the elevator, then there's all the stairs. Lots of climbing involved. Well, for you."

"Thank you Joker," She was heading for the armoury, which she had seen Taylor disappearing into, "I'll call you if I need anything."

"Have fun Commander."

* * *

><p>Taylor wasn't much for talking, and she left him to his guns, taking the elevator down to the crew quarters and dining area. <em>I remember when everyone used to be stuck in the hold together. At least it made it easy to talk to all of them.<em>

EDI told her in the elevator where Miranda's office was, and she almost smiled at the ridiculousness of it. Fixing her face into its usual bland smile she walked into the office.

"Shepard," Miranda sounded genuinely happy, "I wondered when you'd come find me."

"I remember when this used to be the Captain's Quarters," She replied blandly, "I hope I'm not supposed to take that symbolically."

"Now Commander, you have new quarters, much nicer ones than these, and a great improvement on the cramped space you used to have on the old Normandy."

"I liked my old quarters."

"Did you like the quarters or the company?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"Your relationship with Doctor T'soni."

Shepard managed to keep the frown off her face, "How did you know about that?"

"I spent two years studying every aspect of your life Shepard, there's very little I don't know." Miranda pushed away from the desk and stood. "Was there something specific you wanted to talk about?"

"Not particularly, I just like to get to know the people I'm on a mission with."

"Well I suppose that's a fair request. I have been genetically engineered to be perfect. My biotics are as strong as a human can manage, my strength, speed, agility and conditioning all far above average." She leaned against the desk, and seemed to be recounting from a list, "My mental abilities, intelligence, tactics and strategy, acumen, linguistics, all genius level."

"And what about the person who's using all those things?"

"My personal life is just that Shepard, personal. Nothing in it will impact upon the mission, or my interactions with the crew or yourself."

Shepard knew when it was pointless to keep pushing. "That's good to know. Nice talking with you Miranda."

"Operative Lawson, if you don't mind."

"Of course," Shepard smiled again, and nodded curtly, "Operative Lawson."

"Commander."

**AN:-** Observant readers will have noticed in my last story that the narration (from Shepard's point of view) referred to Kaidan and Ashley by their last names until Shepard got to know them better. Ashley in particular was called Williams until she came around on her xenophobia. Similarly, Shepard will refer to most by their last names until they become friends, but with Miranda she didn't know her last name until a little later anyway, and also, it annoys Miranda, which is reason enough for Shepard to do it.

Miranda and Shepard aren't exactly going to be as directly antagonistic as Shepard and Williams were, but they aren't going to be fast friends. Likewise she's not going to warm to Jacob for a bit. The interpersonal relationships of the crew in ME2 are a little more complicated, so hopefully I can do some job of representing that.

Also, am I the only one who noticed EDI's rather obvious design? An elliptical slit that opens and closes? Just me? Ah well...


	7. Chapter 6: Out of Sync

**AN:-** Again I'll say, go and read ghost.713's work, and sinvraal's work. They are much better authors than I, and if you haven't checked them ot yet you really really should.

**Chapter Six: Out of Sync**

"Late night Commander?"

She looked up to see Joker stepping out of the elevator. She still couldn't quite get over the sight of him walking, stooped and limped certainly, but still walking. She nodded as he came to sit opposite from her.

"Dinner alone at the equivalent of..." He checked his watch, "One in the morning." He grinned at her, "I remember having a few of those myself. What's wrong?"

"Nothing really," She waved her plastic fork absently in the direction of what had once been the captain's quarters.

"Not so fond of eating with the crew yet?"

"Not exactly." She sighed and leaned back. "I don't know Joker, I just used to be so comfortable eating with other people, you and the team. But now I feel like, I don't know."

"Is it 'cause they're Cerberus?"

"Maybe a little," She shrugged, "But it's something more than that. They keep deferring to me; everyone's so damn formal on this ship I can't seem to just talk. They all want a reason that I'm talking to them. I feel less like one of the crew, more like, I don't know..."

"Their commander?" He offered.

She chuckled, "Yeah that's probably it. No one to bring me back down to Earth when I need it. No one who I can trust to watch my back."

"I'm watching your back, you know that Commander."

"You know what I mean Joker."

He nodded, "You need someone who can watch your back in a more actual watching form."

She nodded, "That's about it. No offence Joker, but there's just something about having someone with me in the field, someone who can be there when the bullets are flying."

"I get it Commander, really. It's different, doesn't mean either of us do less."

"Well you were the one who took down Sovereign. Final blow on a Reaper, that's a hell of a thing."

He tapped the table, a habit he had gotten into when his bones were more brittle. It was his way of slapping the table triumphantly. "Hell yeah it is!"

She smiled at him, returning to her meal. It didn't feel right not having the rest of the crew there, but Joker was almost enough to make her think she was back on the old Normandy. "So what's with your bones now?"

"Oh, all Cerberus. There have been some medical treatment upgrades since you left us, but they cost. Cerberus gave it to me straight: they fix my bones, they bring you back, they let me pilot their new Normandy and they help protect the human colonists out there."

"Ever feel like they just bought you?"

He barked out a laugh, "Well, what with operative number one within listening distance, I don't like to say."

"That's a yes then?"

His smile vanished and he stared down at his hands, "I guess everyone has a price, huh Commander?"

"I just wish I'd had a choice in the exchange."

He nodded, "I guess I can see that." He cast around the room for something else to talk about, "At least we have a proper galley now, and areal armoury. They don't skimp for anything on these vessels."

"Including your leather seats?"

"You spotted them?"

"Well you weren't whining about how hard the seat was, of course I noticed."

"So are you sure about this Commander?"

"What?"

"Going to the Citadel first? The Illusive Man told us to go looking for that salarian, won't this be the quickest way to annoy him?"

She took a sip from her mug and nodded, "Several reasons. Number one is that it's guaranteed to annoy The Illusive Man, number two is that one of our dossiers needs us to go the Citadel anyway, and number three," She shrugged, "I'm still a SPECTRE, whatever Cerberus thinks, and I have to take this to the Council. Maybe they won't care, maybe they can help, but I have a duty to do."

"They have no idea what they brought back do they?" Joker smiled and stood, heading for the kitchen, "They think they brought back some ace fighter, the killer of Reapers, scourge of the Terminus Systems." He retrieved some coffee, "They're in for a shock."

She chuckled, "So if know me so well, who did they bring back?"

"They brought back Shepard, the SPECTRE, the distinguished service Alliance Commander, the woman who takes the time to solve personal disputes, the woman who'll charge into heavy fire to drag one of her team out, no matter what the cost." He smiled and brought the coffee over, "They brought the Shepard who believes in her duty."

"You make me sound like some kind of super soldier."

"It's hard! You set such a high standard, the rest of us trying to live up to it."

"Stop being silly," She didn't like the look on his face, it was entirely serious, like he meant half of the things he had just said.

"Commander," He waited until she was looking at him again, "After you went, shit, why am I saying this now? It wasn't just that the team fell apart, it was more than that. Without you there we all, broke down somehow, like you had all our spirit, all that morale, and without you it just went."

"Joker..." He held up a hand to stop her.

"It was hard, the last two years. We all said things, things we shouldn't have. Even if you could find all of them again, probably some of them wouldn't want to be in the same room again anyway. We did things we shouldn't be proud of." He forced a smile, "Look, I just wanted to tell you that it is so good to see you again. You're already tempting me to be a better guy again."

There wasn't much she could say, so she lifted her glass of coffee and clinked it against his.

* * *

><p>'<em>You're already tempting me to be a better guy again.'<em>

Miranda leaned back and stared at her computer. _Maybe there are some things you would be wiser not to discuss Mister Moreau._ She opened two folders on her screen, one labelled 'Moreau' and the other 'Shepard.'

While the two old friends continued to reminisce on the other side of the bulkhead, Miranda typed on into the night.

* * *

><p>The approach to the Citadel was more arduous than Shepard remembered it, requiring her to stay up in the cockpit with Joker and voiceprint verify everything he sent. "Security's tightened."<p>

"What did you expect? Someone kicked down the door of their clubhouse and nearly killed everyone. Imagine how paranoid Earth would get if someone staged an attack on Arcturus Station."

"I suppose it's a fair point." _And we are turning up in the vehicle of an enemy of the Council._

Once all their paperwork had cleared though, the docking didn't take as long as Shepard had feared. Joker set her down in one of the wards, reminding Shepard, as if she needed it, that she was no longer an official representative, or in fact an official anything. She was a relic of the past, but hopefully that would change after this visit.

As she stepped off the ship one of the advertisements flickered at her, "Hello Commander, would you step over here for a moment?"

She had seen some sophisticated adverts in her time, but none that had an imperative mode to them. She stepped over and watched as the screen changed to display a woman's face, hidden in the shadows of a dark red hood. "Please tell me your password Commander Shepard."

_Ah ha, dossier number one, the Master Thief. _"Silence is golden," She recited.

"Good to finally meet you Commander Shepard, Kasumi Goto, I'm a fan."

"Good to meet you, sort of." Shepard crossed her arms, "So have you been briefed fully?"

"Absolutely. The Illusive Man pays me a good amount of money and helps me with a personal errand; I follow you on a suicide mission."

"Personal errand?" She had memorised the dossier, and it hadn't mentioned anything.

"A personal matter I need taken care of. As I explained to your boss, I needed help, and if you willing I would help you in return."

Shepard wondered whether it would be rude to turn round and look at Goto in person. She wasn't doing the best job of concealing her voice. "He didn't mention."

"Obviously. Unfortunately I cannot tell you any details now, but it will involve a heist of sorts."

"I'm not sure about doing anything illegal."

"The property we are claiming has already been stolen; we are simply reclaiming it, an act of charity if you will. The man who has it currently is also, shall we say, less than scrupulous himself."

"And I have to agree, sight unseen, before you join us."

"I'm sorry it can't be any other way."

_I've taken on worse with less reason._ If Goto could do even half the things her file said she could, she was worth a trip to dark space and back. She turned and looked up at the walkway where the thief was watching them from, "Very well, make yourself at home."

"You weren't supposed to look round, but you did look silly talking to an advertisement, so I suppose it balances out."

"Don't try and trick a trickster, I'm not some muscle head, got more than enough technical specs in my brain to get by."

"Indeed, I have read up on you."

"You and the rest of the world. Get on board, I have some personal business to attend to."

"As you wish Commander."

* * *

><p>As they walked through the security checkpoint it flashed red and a string of red lines converged on Shepard. "Obviously security has tightened since you were last here." Miranda sounded more bored than annoyed.<p>

"Shut it down," The turian working the terminal spoke into his comm unit, "What, do you seriously think…" He paused while someone on the other end chattered, "Yeah, okay." He looked up and his mandibles rearranged themselves into an expression Shepard recognised. She didn't suppose that most apecies coming through would recognise a turian pretending to smile. "Sorry for the inconvenience ma'am, our scanners are picking up false readings, they seem to think you're, ah, dead."

She grinned, "Only mostly dead," He didn't seem to get the reference, staring blankly at her, so she explained a little more, "I was listed as missing in action a couple of years ago."

"I'm sorry but this is a bit beyond my job description, would you mind checking in with my captain? He can reinstate you in our system; he's just past the scanners on your right."

Shepard nodded to him and walked past, through the doors and over to where a human male was speaking into his comm unit, "He's not just going to give it up, you have to make him scream a little." He looked up as Shepard came over, "Commander Shepard? Yes, I see the problem already; my console says you're dead."

"You're not worried I'm some imposter claiming to be me?"

He smiled as if that was hilarious, "We have the best screening equipment in the galaxy; those scanners can sample DNA from skin flakes. Hell if you have unregistered gene mods they can even figure those out." As he said it he was grinning at Miranda, who looked distinctly uncomfortable.

"Your sergeant said you could help."

"Usually you'd have to go through the Station Security administration to reactivate your IDs, then to Customs and Immigration to regain access to the Citadel itself, and probably a stop by the treasury. Spending a year dead is a popular tax dodge," He held up his hands, "But I can see you're a busy woman, so how about I just press this button right here and we call it done?"

"Not exactly legal."

"I'm fine with regulations Commander, but when they prevent people from doing their job, someone needs to be willing to, push them aside."

"I heard, 'make him scream a little?' Not very PC."

"This ain't the Presidium, you wanna spend nine months going through paperwork, or trying to catch a murder suspect, when you could manage it in a day?"

"You do know I'm a SPECTRE, right?"

"Oh yeah, and SPECTREs follow the rules all the time, they don't get into trouble by, say, blowing up research installations with nuclear devices."

She chuckled, "It's not often someone can beat me with my own game. Run it through, and consider me instructed."

He toggled through some screens and nodded to her, "You're alive again, congratulations. If you need anything come find me, but I'm a busy man, so don't waste my time."

She nodded and then turned to her team, "Let's go, Anderson should be waiting for us."

* * *

><p>"This meeting would be more productive if Udina was to join us." Shepard hadn't thought she would ever here someone asking for Udina, but as the Ambassador's door cycled open, that was exactly what she heard the asari Councillor saying.<p>

"My advisor is unavailable," She stopped in the doorway as she heard his voice, looking over to see him standing in front of the holograms, hands clasped behind the back as they always were, "As Councillor I represent the voice of humanity and the Alliance. Shepard will be here in…" He turned to one side and saw her, "Oh, Commander," He sounded restrained, almost like he wished she weren't there. "We were just talking about you."

"It's been a long time Anderson," She walked up and shook his hand formally, "I hope the last couple of years have treated you right."

"There have been some rough spots," Now she had had time to take him in, she realised that the lines of his face were much deeper, and he no longer stood quite as straight backed. It had been two years, and it already looked like he had gotten old. "It's good to have you back."

"We've heard many rumours surrounding your unexpected return." The salarian Councillor broke up the reunion, "Some of them are… unsettling."

"We called this meeting so you could explain your actions Shepard, we owe you that much. After all you saved our lives in the battle against Saren and his geth." Shepard frowned. No one was talking about Sovereign, which made her nervous.

She ploughed on regardless, "The Collectors are abducting human colonists in the Terminus Systems. Worse, we think they're working for the Reapers."

"The Terminus Systems are beyond our jurisdiction, your colonists knew this when they left council space." Two years hadn't changed everything, the turian Councillor seemed just as obtuse as she remembered him.

"You're missing the important part Councillor," Anderson was clearly used to dealing with them, "The Reapers are involved."

"Ah yes Reapers," If it hadn't been for the seriousness of the situation, Shepard would have burst out laughing as the turian Councillor went so far as to make air-quotes. "The immortal race of sentient star-ships allegedly waiting in dark space, we have dismissed that claim." That wiped any humour out of the equation.

"Shepard," Anderson turned to her before she could respond. "No one else encountered the hologram on Ilos that told you the truth about the Reapers, only you and your crew ever spoke with Sovereign." He sighed, "I believe you, but without evidence from another source, the others think Saren was behind the geth attacks."

Now she did turn to the holograms, resisting the urge to jab her finger at them, "I kept Saren from conquering the Citadel! I sacrificed human lives to save this Council."

"We are in a difficult position Shepard," The asari motioned to Miranda and Taylor, who were trying to remain out of sight in a corner, "You are working for Cerberus, an avowed enemy of the Council, this is treason, a capital offence."

"That's too far!" Anderson did jab his finger, "Shepard is a hero. I'm on the Council too and I won't let this whitewash continue."

The salarian was quick to step in, "Maybe there is a compromise. Not a public acknowledgement, given your ties, but something to show peripheral support."

"Shepard," The turian sounded like he was swallowing broken glass, "If you keep a low profile, and restrict your operations to the Terminus Systems, the Council is willing to offer you reinstatement as a SPECTRE."

She managed a smile, as if there was nothing she wanted more. "It would be an honour." She remembered the last time she had spoken those words in front of the Councillors, back when it really had seemed like something she wanted more than anything.

The Councillors nodded, and the link ended. She turned to Anderson, who managed a weak smile, ""I'm sorry I couldn't do more, but it should help."

She smiled, "Believe me old friend; you've done more than enough for me already."

"I'm afraid that I won't be able to do much more for you once you're off again. My time is very limited these days."

"I have to know, did I make the right choice? Are you glad I recommended you as a Councillor?"

His smile faded, "Things are hard. Udina is actually helping a lot with the bureaucratic side of things, but there's so much to decide, and so many people to try and keep contented." He rubbed the back of his neck, "It's so easy to be a soldier, out there on the front line complaining that your councillor or general isn't doing his job very well, but then you find yourself in the position of trying to do the job."

"Everyone I've spoken to seems to think you're doing a good job."

"No offence, Shepard, but how long have you been back?"

That she smiled at, "Fair point, but then I knew I made the right choice back when I first mentioned you." He had led her over to the balcony, and as they stared out at the Citadel Shepard felt her doubts rising. "Do you really believe me Anderson? About Sovereign and the Reapers?"

"Shepard, I know what I saw, and I know what you say it was. But two years, and there's been no evidence, the hologram locked up and no one's been able to talk to it, the parts of Sovereign, while impressive, could easily have been made by the geth without our knowledge." He sighed and looked at her, "Commander, if you say the Reapers are real, I'll believe you, but I'm a Councillor now, and I'm going to need a lot more than your word to help you this time."

"I understand." There didn't seem to be much more she could say, standing and saluting, "I'll be back when I have that evidence Councillor."

He nodded, "Of course, Commander."

She couldn't help it, but when she left the office she felt like she was losing something.

**AN:-** I did a little research for this chapter. Very impressive (for me). For anyone who hasn't read the Mass Effect wiki or the codex entries, the Systems Alliance is the representative government of Earth, not only the militaristic side (common knowledge) and is headed by a Prime Minister. It is also based on Arcturus Station. Despite being a supranational government, it is not a wholly united one, since the nation states still retain their own national identities back on Earth.

The reason I mention this is because I had to go trawling around trying to find whether there was a place that was roughly analogous to the Citadel and the Council but only for Earth, or whether I'd have to invent a 'United Federations' that met in Brussels or somewhere, simply for Joker's one off line about someone kicking in the clubhouse door. In others words, I spent more time researching the actual answer than I could have done making one up. Writing an accurate (I hope) novelisation has so many facets I never even thought about.

And of course we see more of my obsession with how much cross culturalism there is in Mass Effect, returning readers will remember Liara watching Wall*E and listening to Hollaback Girl in the last novel. Do turians watch human movies? Do humans watch turian movies? There is evidence for it in game, like Grunt reading Hemingway or Jacob watching asari porn, but I like examining it further. So here we have a turian who clearly doesn't know about The Princess Bride.

And we meet Kasumi Goto. I have to admit that this is literally the first playthrough where I've had her and Zaeed, so my writing of them might not be so good, and I probably won't use them very much.

This Author's Note is getting long, so I'll finally take a moment to say how surprised I am that I made it a whole chapter without there being any violence or the threat of violence. It was all talking and character development. I'm proud of myself. Now please read and review, the next chapter is going to be action-packed as we make out way to Omega.


	8. Chapter 7: Omega

**AN:-** This chapter is awful. Sorry. I did my best.

**Chapter Seven: Omega**

Leaving the Citadel was easier than Shepard had anticipated, and that made her nervous. She had thought it would be hard, so many memories attached to it, so many dead friends that she had thought she would need to mourn. But she didn't feel anything, not even bothering to stay in the cockpit to watch the station shrink behind them as they headed for the mass relay.

She stood at the CIC, leaning on the guardrail and inspecting the galaxy map. "Joker? Take us to Omega."

"Aye aye Commander."

* * *

><p>She had heard about Omega before, everyone had. It was in its own way as infamous as the Citadel, a den of drugs, prostitution, murder, slavery. If it was illegal, it was on Omega. It wasn't exactly a place she wanted to go, but she didn't see much choice, according to her dossiers she was going to find three members of her new team here.<p>

_That probably says something about my new team. And it's not something I want to spend too much time thinking about either._

She was up in the cockpit as they flew in, Miranda at her side. "I hate this place," The operative complained, "Every time I leave I feel like I need to take a shower, and that's after the decontamination.

"I kinda like it," Shepard replied, "Some places are just a little too polished. This I can work with."

"You're doing this deliberately, aren't you?"

She shrugged, "It's your boss who's told us to come here. Even better, he's sending us into the slums. Best way to see a city I think."

"I spent two years reading up on you, nobody ever told me you were quite this… disgusting."

"You never learn anything from the upper ranks, you've got to get some shit between your toes, really get to know people."

"Whatever you say Shepard."

"Bringing us in now Commander." Joker did a good job of keeping the smile off his face, but as Miranda turned back to the airlock, he gave Shepard a grin. "Go get some shit between your toes."

"I hate places like this," She whispered to him, and he laughed, EDI flashing into life next to him.

"Anything I can help you with Mr Moreau?"

"Don't worry about it, just having a laugh with the Commander." He looked back to her again, "You'd better go, before it starts to explain how laughter is a way of relieving tension before a mission."

She nodded, and left the cabin just as EDI's voice started up, "It's good to see you have some understanding of human behaviour Mr Moreau, and indeed laughter can in certain circumstances…"

* * *

><p>They made it ten feet out of the airlock before a salarian came rushing up to them. Shepard didn't know much about salarians, but she thought that this one looked young even by their standards.<p>

"Ah! Welcome to Omega, you're new here, aren't you? I can always tell, allow me to…" Just as Shepard was wondering whether he'd ever take a breath a batarian came up and stared pointedly at the salarian, "Oh hello Moklan, I was just…"

"Leave Fargut, now."

"Of course Moklan, whatever She wants."

She could practically hear the capital, _Who's _She_? _She wondered as the salarian scampered off. The batarian turned to her with a grimace on his face. It seemed that that facial expression crossed species barriers.

"Blasted scavengers, welcome to Omega Shepard."

"You know who I am?"

"Of course, we had you tagged the moment you entered the Terminus Systems, you're not as subtle as you think." Miranda huffed behind her, "Aria wants to know what brings a dead SPECTRE to Omega. I suggest you go to Afterlife now and present yourself."

Shepard waved him off, "Cut the attitude, I'm not here to cause problems for Omega."

"Things explode around you Shepard. You can't blame Aria for keeping an eye on you," _Fair enough._ "Afterlife, now."

He marched off, leaving them to carry on down the corridor, EDI's voice in her head. "It appears that Archangel is currently being besieged by several crime groups, who are recruiting mercenaries. The slums are under quarantine; Mordin Solus has established a clinic to help deal with the worst of it."

"We're going to Afterlife first. Whoever Aria is, we don't want to step on any important toes."

"As you wish Shepard."

Afterlife was easy to find. It was the first thing they saw as they came through the doors. Shepard looked around as the doors closed behind her, and almost immediately felt like going back to the ship and standing in her shower until the skeeze washed off.

"Still love this place Shepard?"

"It's fun to see so much local culture in one place," She managed, "I can't wait to start asking around and soaking up all the tales they have to tell."

"You have got to be joking."

"Nope," She squared her shoulders and led the way to Afterlife, "Come on guys, let's go see Aria."

She wasn't entirely sure if Taylor was laughing under his breath as they headed past the elcor bouncer, but she was sure that Miranda was cursing her out in the same tone a quarian might have used for a geth.

* * *

><p>The inside of the club was nicer than she had expected. At the very least the floors seemed clean and the people were no different than they would have been anywhere else. She went up to the bartender, "Where's Aria?"<p>

He shoved a talon upwards, "Stairs either side, can't miss it. Watch out for the bodyguards."

She led her team the way he had directed and they climbed past two sets of bodyguards before they were finally able to see an asari, her back to them, being guarded by the same batarian they had met outside.

"That's close enough." The asari said, not shouting, but easily loud enough to be heard over the pounding music.

Several of the body guards raised their guns as the batarian stepped forward with his omni tool lit. "Stand still." He instructed them, running the scanner over Shepard's body several times.

"If you're looking for weapons," Shepard pulled her pistol, leaving it in its folded state, and waved it in front of his face, "You're not doing a very good job."

"Can't be too careful with dead SPECTRES," The asari half turned, and Shepard caught a glimpse of her face, enough to tell her that Aria could easily have been matron age, "That could be anyone wearing your face."

She tried to ignore the batarian, "I was told you're the person to talk to if I have questions."

"They're clean." He announced.

Aria finally turned round, and Shepard immediately didn't like her. She was aware of her own proclivities, and for a while she had wondered if there had been something about Liara's race that had drawn her to the scientist, the exotic feel, for lack of a better term; but Aria's face was cold and hard, and Shepard had seen enough arrogant people in her time to recognise the look of someone with a lot of self-assurance, justified or not. "Depends on the questions."

"You run Omega?"

Aria laughed, turning back to the viewscreen to look over the club, "I am Omega." She turned back, "But you need more. Everyone needs more something, and they all come to me. I'm the boss, CEO," She gave one of the turian bodyguards an aside glance, "Queen, if you're feeling dramatic. It doesn't matter, Omega has no titled ruler and only one rule," She sat down on the leather couch and leaned back, getting comfortable, "Don't fuck with Aria."

Shepard forced a smile, "I like it, easy to remember."

"If you forget, someone will remind you." There it was again, the smile that wasn't a smile. Hard and cold and about as welcoming as a knife in the ribs.

"And then I toss your sorry ass out the nearest airlock."

Aria glared at her bodyguard, presumably for ruining the dramatic mood she had built up by stating the obvious, and motioned for Shepard to sit, leaving her companions at the bottom of the steps.

"So what can I do for you?"

"I'm trying to track down Archangel."

"You and half of Omega."

"He's that popular?"

"Not exactly. The Blue Suns, the Blood Pack, Eclipse, they've all teamed up to bring him down. Normally I'd be worried, but as long as they're more focused on the delusional do-gooder then I'll let them squabble it out amongst themselves."

"What's Archangel done to earn that much anger from so many people?"

"He's killed a whole lot of them, that's what he's done. Archangel never seemed to understand how Omega worked. He shows up here a few months back with his little group, and he started to take on the big boys. He conducted drug busts, assassinations, everything he could do to bring down crime on this miserable station."

"So I take it you weren't a fan either?"

"Omega runs on crime. Without crime, this station has no purpose." She shrugged, "One way or the other, Archangel wouldn't last long. Someone would get opportunistic and take him down, or he'd give up and leave. He would never make a difference to my operations, the most he could hope to do would be to thin out the ranks of my competitors."

"Where can I find him?"

"You can find him by signing up to the mercenaries. And then getting to him before they kill him." She fixed her with a glare, "You looking to collect his bounty?"

"I'm recruiting for my team, Archangel is on my list."

"Good for me, good for Archangel," She smiled and leaned back, "Bad for the mercenary groups I suspect."

"You'd be right."

"How many are you expecting to take out?"

"I don't like criminals, no offence. Believe me; I'm going to be shooting to kill."

"Then I'll send a recommendation down for you."

"Thanks."

"Now get out of here, I was having a nice evening until you arrived."

She stood and nodded to the asari, returning to her team and nodding to them, "I have a plan, follow me."

She led them down to where a turian wearing the uniform of the Blue Suns was guarding a private room. "I hear you're recruiting."

He took one look at their weapons and armour and nodded, "Why don't you step inside?"

Inside the room she heard the recruiter talking, "You'll get paid when the job's done just like everyone else." A human with beat up armour and an old model pistol walked past her, sneering at her own weapons.

"Heat sinks," He growled, "Never did understand the appeal."

"Who's next?" The recruiter asked, and she stepped up, "Well aren't you sweet. You're in the wrong place honey, strippers quarters are that way." He waited a moment while she stared him down, and after a few seconds shook his head, "Wow, not even a smile. So you're here to fight then?"

"Sure, if this is the place to go after Archangel."

"This is the place." He started to input data onto his omni-tool, "Standard fee is five hundred credits each, you get paid when the job's done. if you die your friends don't collect your share, you'll need your own weapons and armour, looks like you got that covered, and no this does not make you a member of the blue suns, eclipse or the blood pack, you are a freelancer, period. Any questions?"

She shook her head, "Sounds simple enough, where do I go?"

"Shuttle rank outside, you'll be ferried over to the apartment complex where the assault is happening."

She nodded again and led her team back to the door. As they were leaving a young man walked past them, she guessed he was about seventeen, and gave her a shoulder bump. "This where I sign up?"

She sighed and rolled her shoulders. Any other day and she might just have let him go, but she wasn't in the mood for seeing another child determined to prove himself. She turned round and shoulder checked him round to face her. "How old are you boy?"

"Old enough, and I got a gun," He went to draw it but she got there first, yanking it from his belt and unfolding it.

He recoiled and held up his hands, but she pointed it off to one side and pulled the trigger. As she had thought, the gun was long overdue for a service, and when she pulled the trigger the heat sink shook loose without discharging. She waved it in front of the boy's face. "You're not armed anymore, and whoever told you seventeen is old enough to die was lying."

The look on his face told her everything she needed to know, he wasn't even seventeen. She shook her head in disgust and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, swinging him round until he was facing the door, "Get out of here, and put some thought into your next stupid idea."

He stumbled away, cursing her. She waited until he had gotten out of sight before leading her squad back up the stairs.

"You didn't need to do that Shepard," Miranda muttered as they got out of the main area.

"You would rather I'd let him sign up? He wouldn't have survived for a second out there."

"Sometimes I wonder about whether you've got your priorities straight Shepard. Saving one human means nothing if it leads to the destruction of the entire galaxy. You know how much is at stake, you know that the Reapers are coming. One human life doesn't matter in the face of that sort of destruction."

"I'd say it matters even more. You haven't spoken to them, so you can't understand. Our compassion may be the only thing that separates us from the Reapers. If we can't even show that, then why bother?"

"And what about the big picture?"

Shepard didn't have an answer, but thankfully the conversation had taken enough time that they were at the shuttle rank. Miranda didn't push the issue, and Shepard found she was thankful. At some point she was going to have to make that choice, where she would have to watch the one die to save the many.

* * *

><p>The apartment complex they got out at looked like a warzone. There was explosion damage everywhere, and bullet holes riddled the walls. Blood was splashed around so copiously she would have been tempted to think it was paint, if the smell hadn't been so thick in the air she could practically taste it.<p>

Getting out of the shuttle she ran right into batarian, who looked her up and down in the same way that everyone had so far, "You'll want Cathka then."

"If you say so."

"Just follow the blockades until you find the gunship."

That made her pause, "Gunship?"

"Yeah," If he had been human she would have said he looked embarrassed, "Archangel shot down Tarak's gunship during the first few attempts we made to storm the building."

"Good to know the man we're going after shot down a gunship all by himself, really inspires confidence in a bunch of mercenaries."

"Just go and find Cathka, we have a plan this time."

_Why do I get the feeling the plan makes heavy use of meat shields?_ She had been a meat shield precisely once in her life, and she didn't care to try it again. Nevertheless she headed through the first set of doors and headed down through the buildings. The mercenaries had blocked off most of the route, save for a few buildings where they were gathering and planning.

She collected some spare heat sinks and medi gel before making her way to the very end of the blockade. Every so often a gunshot would echo from down range, where she could make out an apartment building, and one of the mercenaries would jerk back with a cloud where his head used to be. Most of the mercs were badly armed and armoured, at most having a basic rifle and tough armour. No kinetic barriers in sight.

When the gunship was in sight she jumped up onto the barrier and poked her head over, trying to catch a glimpse of the sniper. Two mercs next to her poked up on either side and fired wild bursts which made it hard for her to focus. She thought she saw a flicker of movement and two more shots rang out.

The mercs on either side jerked back and fell almost as one, a third shot coming a second later. Her shields sparked and she jerked forwards as a bullet skimmed her shoulder plate. "Are you alright Shepard?" Kasumi asked as Shepard slid off the edge and crashed onto the floor.

"Ow." She stood and rubbed her shoulder, "Either this guy's very lucky, or he's not as good a shot as everyone thinks."

Four shots in quick succession and another four thuds as mercenaries around them hit the floor. "I don't think it's luck." Miranda had ducked slightly. Shepard's shields kicked back to life again, but she stayed crouched as well.

"Why would he miss?"

"Maybe he recognised you?"

"He had what, a second to sight on me? He must know me pretty well to recognise me in such short time." She shook her head, "No time to worry about that, stay low and follow me to the gunship."

They waddled off, another couple of gunshots signalling the deaths of two more mercenaries.

Shepard ignored the jeering laughs of the other mercenaries as they came in low and close to the wall. There was someone under the gunship, "Cathka?"

"Sergeant Cathka," The batarian rolled himself out from under the gunship and toggled his visor off, looking them up and down, "Huh, you must be the group Salkie mentioned, you're just in time."

"Salkie?"

"You met him when you were dropped off. He radioed to say you were coming, you three kinda stand out." Another gunshot rang out and a mercenary dropped behind them, "Goddamn turian. Anyway, the infiltration team is about to give us the signal. Archangel won't know what hit him."

"What's our job in this?"

"You go over the bridge. Keep Archangel distracted and try not to die. All you have to do is keep his attention until the infiltration team can get to him and finish this. Failing that, if I can get this gunship working again then Tarak should just waltz in there and finish the job."

Kasumi wasn't convinced. "The best strategy you can give us is, 'try not to die?' Not very encouraging."

"Of all the temporary recruits we've picked up, you're probably the only ones who I think could handle themselves." He shrugged, "But what do I care? Go get yourselves killed, or not."

The computer beside him crackled, "Target is in sight, we're a go."

"I need to get back to work, you'd better get going." He lay down and slid under the gunship again. Shepard nodded to her team and led them back to the front of the blockade.

"Archangel doesn't have much time left." Miranda reminded her as they watched a couple of the mercenaries jump over and immediately get pinned to the wall by sniper fire.

"Let's hope he really does recognise us." Shepard wasn't sure, but she thought some of the pieces were beginning to fit together. A renegade turian, struggling to bring law and order to a place with neither. And a crack sniper to boot? Her heart fluttered a moment as she stared over at the apartment. _Could it be?_ "Let's go."

**AN:-** SPOILER ALERT:

The bit with Miranda and Shepard was not Miranda-bashing. The utilitarian viewpoint Miranda expresses is actually probably the best solution, especially in the face of the Reaper threat. The best example would be in Arrival, in which the only possible response is a utilitarian one as Miranda suggests.

I think I've decided that the dynamic between Shepard and Miranda is going to have a lot of similarities to the relationship between Vash the Stampede and Knives in TriGun. The example used in story is of a butterfly caught in a spider's web. For Knives (and Miranda) the choice is to kill the spider to save the butterfly, or let the spider eat the butterfly. If the spider doesn't eat the butterfly, it will die anyway, so one of them must die. Vash (and Shepard) argue that there must be a way to save everybody, no matter how improbable it seems.

Considering Shepard's past, especially my Shepard's past, it makes sense that she wouldn't want to lose anone ever again. And in the first game, there there are very few times when you can't save everyone, maybe four of five in the entire story. The second game starts to up the ante a little. And I suspect that the third game will make it clear. You'll have to make the big choice, and you won't be able to save everyone.

So there's my explanation, which I hope is good enough. My interpretation of Miranda is that she is very straight talking, and given how much my Shepard has been antagonising her that trait would probably be exacerbated. So rather than try and explain diplomatically what she means she'd just give her opinion right up front. Remember also how she honestly believes she is always right. For me Miranda's defining moment pre-loyalty quest has always been the shooting of Wilson, and the arrogant certainty afterwards. For Shepard to not take her opinion as fact would be a wholly new experience for her (remember also how Jacob always kowtows to her).


	9. Chapter 8: Archangel

**AN:-** I hae returned from the land of university and exams. It was hard and I may not be able to keep writing once I move into the world or work. Anyway, have fun with the latest chapter of Out of the Dark, and if you like Fallout 3, check out my new fic _A View from the Wastes._

**Chapter Eight: Archangel**

They jumped over the edge, two mercenaries a step behind them. Shots rang out and they joined the growing pile of dead. Shepard sprinted forwards, trusting that the sniper wasn't going to drill them as well, and that her team were keeping close. There were bodies up and down the bridge, and more than once she came close to slipping in a pile of semi-congealed blood.

Two mercs were ahead of her, staying out of sight behind some crates, when they saw her running up they jumped out as well, firing up at the upper balcony. They rushed through the open door and reloading, laughing as she joined them. "Nice distraction," They told her.

"You think?" Shepard asked, snapping her pistol up and shooting them both cleanly through the head. "Upstairs," She told the others. She twitched as one of the other mercenaries fired at her, "Quickly, otherwise we're in trouble."

They charged up the stairs at full pelt, the rhythmic cracking of the rifle above them letting them know Archangel hadn't gone down. They reached the top just as he was turning away from the open window, the smoking rifle raised above his head. Shepard held up her hands and slid to a halt.

"Don't shoot, I need to talk to you, my name is…"

"Shepard." The voice stopped her cold, her jaw dropping as the turian sat down slowly and pulled his helmet off, "I thought you were dead."

"Garrus!" She rushed forwards, but stopped when he held up a hand, "What are you doing here?"

"Just keeping my skills sharp, a little target practice." He sounded completely exhausted, and his movements were slow and deliberate now that they were face to face. She didn't know how he was still standing, let alone taking out guards with single shots.

"Are you okay?"

He managed a chuckle, and the sound of it was so familiar, she felt like she was standing back in the bay of the Normandy, watching Garrus fixing up the mako, "Been better, but it sure is good to see a friendly face. Killing mercs is hard work," He took a long sigh, and she recognised the sound of someone who had lost people, a lot of people. "Especially on my own."

Taylor broke in, pointing across the bridge to where more mercenaries were starting to gather, "Well we got here, but I don't think getting out will be as easy."

"No it won't. That bridge has saved my life, funnelling all those witless idiots into scope, but it works both ways. They'll slaughter us if we try to get out that way."

"So we just sit here and wait for them to take us out?" Kasumi folded her arms, "Not much of a plan."

"It's not all that bad. This place has held them off so far and with three of you…" His mandibles twitched slowly upwards, a faint echo of his old smile, "I suggest we hold this location, wait for a crack in their defences, take our chances. It's not a perfect plan, but it's a plan."

"If we fight as a team, we'll hold them off." Shepard assured him.

He chuckled again, "It's been a long time since I heard you saying something like that. It's getting harder to believe in that sort of teamwork, but you're right." He raised his rifle and set an eye to the scope, "Let's see what they're up to, their numbers won't help them in here anyway."

"Hmm," He pulled the rifle up again and turned to her, "Looks like they know their infiltration team failed, Eclipse scouts are on the way." She drew her own rifle and stared down range. There was a lot of movement, and several dozen armed men getting into position.

"That looks like a lot more than scouts." She smiled at him, "We'd better get ready."

"Following your lead Shepard."

"Garrus, you and I will stay up here and thin out their numbers, everyone else get down on the ground floor, if anyone gets past the two of us, take them down."

The team nodded and rushed downstairs, drawing their guns as they went. "Good to be working with you again Shepard." Garrus told her as they left.

"You too Garrus."

"I've been working hard since then; I'm a better sniper than ever."

"I may have a few surprises up my sleeve yet." She sighted and fired, capping one of the mercenaries right in the visor. He fell back and knocked two of his friends down, which made her smile and Garrus chuckled.

"Not bad Shepard, we might get out of this yet."

A half dozen more mercs jumped the ledge and rushed the apartment, too quick for Shepard to cycle the action. She got one of them and Garrus took another, but the final four slid into cover out of sight. "Leave them to my team," Shepard instructed, "Concentrate on the next wave."

"They're good enough?"

"More than good enough."

He nodded and fired again, "Looks like you've kept up your team building skills as well then."

"I wish, this is all The Illusive Mans doing."

"The Illusive Man?" He fired early and missed, swinging round to stare at her, "Cerberus? Commander are you insane?"

"Garrus," She sighted carefully, it was easier to talk when she was staring down the scope, "I died. Fully, no way of coming back. But they brought me back anyway. I'm alive because of them, and they've given me the resources to help track down the human colonists being taken. I owe them too much."

"As long as you're sure." Automatic fire rang from down below and bullets strafed the bridge. Mercenaries dropped like flies. "They seem to be pretty good though." He fired again, "Not as good as the old team, but pretty good."

Another batch dropped down, "They can't have many more." Shepard sighted and fired, "I saw their numbers, and there can't be many left."

"I think we're down to the last few. And look here." Garrus' voice did all the smiling for him, "Jaroth."

"Jaroth?"

"Leader of Eclipse." He lowered the rifle, "He's taking cover behind the furthest left crate, would you be so kind as lower his shields for me?"

She found the overlarge helmet that marked a salarian, his shield sparking off and on from the assault rifle fire. "I'd be happy to." She fired and his shield dropped, followed a second later by Garrus' shot. The helmet jerked forwards, dragging his body with it.

The Eclipse mercs scattered, trying to make it back over the fortification in time, but it only opened them up for the concentrated fire of Shepard and her team. The final mercs dropped and Garrus turned to her, smiling properly, "You're kicking ass Shepard, they barely touched me. And we got Jaroth in the process; I've been hunting that little bastard for months."

"Still got Blood Pack and Blue Suns left, think we can make a run for it?"

"Maybe," He swung the rifle round and sighted on the end of the bridge, "Let's see what they're up to."

There was an explosion from below and the building shook.

"What the hell was that?" She heard Miranda yelling.

She walked over to the ledge and shouted down, "Everything okay down there?"

"Miranda fell into a desk," Kasumi replied, "But otherwise we're fine."

Garrus was pacing, "Dammit, they breached the lower level." He sighed and straightened, "Well, they had to use their brains eventually. You'd better get down there Shepard; I'll keep the bridge clear."

"Let's split up," She argued, "Two and two, keep one of my team here."

"Are you sure? Who knows what you'll find down there."

She nodded, returning to the edge, "Miranda," She yelled, "Stay with Garrus, keep him alive." She heard an affirmative from below, and looked back to her friend.

"Thanks Shepard, you'd better get going."

"Stay alive," She told him, and went down to meet Kasumi and Taylor.

* * *

><p>"There are three shutters open down there," Garrus told her as she let the door cycle closed behind her, "Get them sealed, and we only have to worry about the bridge." There was a pause, and she heard gunshots over the comm, "Be careful, there's a lot of movement down there, none of it friendly."<p>

"Stay alert people," She told her team, and drew her pistol, leading them down into the belly of the apartment complex.

Straight away they were set upon by packs of vorcha, armed with rifles and flamethrowers which dropped her shields in seconds. Intense heat roiled over her and she ducked for cover behind a stack of barrels. Behind her the crack of pistols told her that Taylor and Kasumi were doing their jobs, and the moment her shields had returned she popped up to add her fire to the fray.

They vaulted along the barricades which had been dumped in place by the vorcha, taking it as slow as they could, and found themselves in an open space, cluttered with boxes and crates. "Cover me," She told her team, "I'm going to try and close the door."

"You know, you could just try asking nicely," Kasumi gave her a smile and lit up her omni-tool.

"Uh, what?"

Kasumi's smile went wider and she keyed in a command, disappearing entirely from view. "Leave it to me," Her voice came from the empty air, "Just keep them occupied."

Shepard shrugged and pointed Taylor to a position. He set up and sighted at the open shutter. Shepard hoisted herself up on top of a stack of boxes and unfolded her sniper rifle, getting her eye to the scope just as a team of vorcha came rushing through the door.

Below her Taylor opened fire, forcing the vorcha into cover, where she was able to get two of them with easy headshots. The third vorcha poked his head out and Taylor put the rest of his heat sink through the mercenary's forehead. "Nice shooting Shepard," His voice came over her comm, "But looks like there are more on the way, and Goto's still working on it.

"Well then reload and get ready for them."

"Yes ma'am."

She followed her own advice, cycling the heat sink and aiming at the shutter. The first sign of movement she saw she fired and watched a leg spiral off across the floor and a vorcha's body came into view. She took the thing's head clean off with another shot before Taylor opened up, his assault rifle stitching patterns across the other mercs.

"Just a few more seconds," Kasumi's voice came over the comm.

"Can you hurry it up?" Taylor's position was getting pounded by enemy fire, and Shepard didn't have a good angle, "We're about to be in trouble."

The doors slammed closed, bisecting a varren that was about to pounce through. The remaining vorcha looked back at the door in horror for a second before two pistol shots took them down. Kasumi shimmered back into the visible spectrum and gave her a mock salute, "Fast enough for you?"

Shepard packed up her rifle and slid down to ground level, nodding to Taylor as he joined them, "Fast enough, and that strategy seems to work. Let's try it again on the next shutter."

They made their way back through the lower reaches of the apartment, Garrus calling her up, "Nice going Shepard, but it would be nice if you could speed things up."

"We're moving as fast as we can Garrus," She ducked behind a corner as a bullet whizzed past her head. "What's wrong?"

"We're on the verge of getting swamped here. Miranda's good, but not good enough, and I'm running on empty. Get back here as fast as you can."

"You got it Garrus." She leaned out and capped the vorcha, then turned to her team, "They're running out of time, we've got to get this done."

They rushed through to the next shutter, Kasumi engaging her cloak as they stepped through the door. A second later Shepard's shields dropped as a band of mercenaries rushed through the door and opened up. Their fire mostly went wild, but they were using big guns, and she had to duck behind cover to avoid getting her head blown off.

Above her Taylor opened fire and she heard the thud of dropping bodies as she pulled her sniper rifle off her back and rolled to one side. There was a gap in the crates she could aim through, and she fired at a krogan in full battle armour who was racing towards them. Most of his jaw disappeared and he dropped to the floor.

Taylor dropped next to her, "These are some tough bastards Shepard."

"Come on Taylor, I thought _you_ were a tough bastard. Surely these mercs aren't enough to rattle your cage?"

She rolled back over to her sniping location and sighted again; frowning as the krogan she had shot pulled himself up again, _Really?_ The sniper rifle thumped against her shoulder and he keeled over backwards, his head disappearing into a cloud of blood. She ejected the heat sink and reached for her comm unit.

"Door closing," Kasumi's voice came over before she could even ask, and Shepard looked over to see the shutter slamming closed.

"Come on people, we have to move."

The sprinted to the next shutter, Garrus calling her again, "I don't mean to hurry you Shepard but we're in trouble up here." She heard gunshots over the comm and muffled shouts that sounded like Miranda. "I have to go, your friend is in trouble."

"She's not my friend," Shepard growled, but he had already signed off. She huffed in annoyance and pulled her rifle into place, her first shot going wild. _Stay calm, breathe. _She knew how to shoot, it was one of the only things she knew she did well. She struggled to find her calm centre, sighted again, and shot a vorcha carrying a flamethrower. The thing's fuel tank exploded and it took out two of his friends as well.

Beside her, Kasumi ghosted, the only sign of her passage a faint ripple in the air. When she had left, _died,_ personal camouflage technology had been in its infancy, costing far too much to ever apply. Now here she was having to adapt her tactics on the fly. _Out of date. That gets you killed._

She fired again, and grimaced as a varren fell neatly in half. "Kasumi?"

"Do you always need to be kept up to the second on every single action I make?" She sounded more than a little cranky, so Shepard signed off and took a shot, forcing the krogan in charge behind cover. The comm crackled, "Can you make him take a step back please?"

Shepard fired at the box the krogan was hiding behind and he staggered back with his shields flickering as the powerful round tore straight through the box. "Thank you." The door slammed shut, decapitating the krogan. "I'm done here."

"Shepard I need you." Garrus didn't sound good.

"Guys, we need to move."

Kasumi materialised next to her, Taylor sprinting out from his cover, and they charged back up to the apartments.

They entered a warzone, thugs everywhere firing on two separate locations. Garrus was up on the top floor, but he was using his pistol and Shepard could see his rifle down on the ground floor. Miranda wasn't even firing back, curled behind a sofa that was falling to pieces.

"Taylor, upstairs, Garrus is going to need your support. Kasumi, do what you do best, I'm going to get Miranda."

"Shepard…"

"Do as I say Taylor." She waited until the soldier had taken off before she slid behind the cover of a bookcase and drew her pistol. Blood Pack mercenaries were everywhere, and she didn't see how they were going to get out of the situation this time. _Ignore it, Miranda is the situation now._

She drew a combat knife from inside her boot and stabbed down into the closest Blood Pack member's eyes. The batarian went down screaming and she dragged the knife across his throat, leaving him to die as she rushed to the next one, sticking her gun up against his back and putting a round through his spine.

A round sparked off her shield and she staggered, feeling the kinetic force as a punch against her head. More rounds shorted out her shields and she had to duck behind Miranda's cover. "How are you doing?"

The operative grunted and Shepard saw blood on the normally spotless uniform. "How bad?"

"Bad enough."

Her shields had come back up and she peered over the sofa to see Blood Pack advancing on them. "Hold on, we're not out of this yet." She stood and swept her gun left to right, a double tap bringing down the shields and then killing each ganger. Reaching down she pulled Miranda up and they raced for the stairs, rounds blooding the banister to pieces behind them.

On the top floor Garrus nodded to her, his armour pitted in several new places. "How does it look down there?" He asked.

"We've had better."

"But we've had worse as well."

She grinned and grabbed some heat sinks from the bag next to him. Kasumi popped into view behind Taylor, a knife in her hand that was covered in multiple types of blood. "That takes care of most of them."

"What do you mean?"

"I counted the bodies; we've taken a lot of them down."

"That's good news," Garrus grunted, "But we're not out of this yet." His shield sputtered again and he ducked lower, growling as he racked his sniper rifle. "Garm."

Shepard was feeling about as happy, "I have had it with these goddamn low level enforcers." She snarled, pulling her submachine gun into her free hand and standing. There were five Blood Pack trying to climb the stairs, and the big krogan she had seen earlier was directing more of them from cover.

She emptied the submachine gun into the thugs; downing two of them and leaving the others open to precise pistol rounds to the heads. The krogan stepped out and she threw her submachine gun at him, making him flinch to defend his face. "Rifle," She yelled, and Garrus handed her his gun. She raised it and fired, the heavy round blowing a hole straight through to the wall behind him.

"Uh, Shepard?"

"What?" She twisted to see Miranda being helped down onto one of the couches by Kasumi. "How bad?"

"Half an hour? Maybe less. I'm not a doctor."

The operative was protesting, but nowhere near as strongly as Shepard had heard before, "I'm fine."

She turned to Garrus, "We need a way out now."

"Only the Blue Suns are left." He nodded to the bridge, "I say we take our chances and fight our way out."

"Good plan." She turned to her team, ignoring the low pitched drone that had started up, "Taylor, you get Miranda, Kasumi, scout ahead, Garrus…" As she turned there was an explosion that shook the building and they were knocked to the floor. Garrus was bringing his assault rifle up when fire ripped through the upper level and he was launched back, blood pooling around him the second he landed.

"Any ordinance?" She asked Taylor, who nodded and brought out the grenade launcher, "Then shoot that piece of shit."

As she ran for cover with Kasumi, Shepard had to admit that he was a hell of a shot. Every single grenade hit the gunship, no matter how it tried to bank away. He expended every shot he had in under a minute and when he was done the ship was smoking and battered, wiring exposed and cracks all along the viewscreen.

But it was still flying, and as Taylor dived for cover it opened fire again, the heavy slugs ripping any cover they had apart. In seconds it would be through to Miranda. Shepard sighed and drew her sniper rifle, loading her last heat sink into place. She waited for a pause in the firing and stepped out.

As the gunship whirled round into firing position, Shepard walked down past the lines of beds, the rifle steady in her hands. The gunship sparked and smoked from where their rounds had punched through its armour, exposing the inner mechanics of the thing. It felt almost like there was a computer behind her eyes throwing up blueprints for the gunship.

She waited until the thing was side on to her, a panel ripped off right over the fuselage. The rifle butt slammed into her shoulder as she emptied the clip, every bullet tearing apart the delicate electrics that kept the thing aloft. It dropped like a stone, trailing fire and smoke, and two seconds later she felt the building shudder as it exploded thirty stories down.

She wasted one extra second spitting over the balcony, then turned back to where Taylor was leaning over Miranda, and Kasumi was rushing to Garrus. She dropped the rifle and sprinted for her friend, already reaching for the comm unit. "Garrus! We're getting you outta here Garrus, just hold on. Radio Joker; make sure they're ready for us."

Kasumi was inspecting his wounds, "He's in bad shape; we need to get him out of here."

**AN:-** Not my best, probably because I started it a month ago and only finished it now. But still pretty good I think. The idea was to get Garrus and Shepard together as quickly as possible and let them be all pally. Dinner scenes ahoy! Again. Yeah I have the one good idea and then I just run with it.

There was a line in this chapter which I may or may not put back in. The reason Shepard leaves Miranda with Garrus is because she thinks Miranda is the best teammate she has. I didn't put it in there because I think it makes their relationship and the feelings between them too obvious, but if you the readers think it would work then I'll put it back.

Hopefully there will be more soon enough. Please read and review.


	10. Chapter 9: Reunited

**AN:-** The valiant return of Out of the Dark. I hope this chapter is up to snuff.

**Chapter Nine: Reunited**

Racing back to the Normandy Shepard found herself remembering the hunt for Saren. Back then things had been easier, barely any of their missions ending in the sort of mad dash to get medical assistance. She didn't know what it was, whether it was her team, or the enemies, or maybe it was her. Maybe she had lost whatever it was that had carried her through the last mission.

Chakwas met them at the airlock with her full medical team, and the most reaction she had to seeing Garrus was to shoot her a look. Miranda looked bad enough, but Garrus was a mess, dripping blood off the gurney even as he was wheeled to the elevator.

Shepard turned to her team, "Debriefing as soon as Miranda's back on her feet." Nodding to them as they marched off she went through to the cockpit.

"Garrus?" Joker asked as soon as she stepped over the threshold. "I haven't seen him in nearly two years."

"I got that the first time. The thing I need to know is whether I can still trust him to help us."

Joker grinned, spinning his chair round fully, "This is still Garrus we're talking about here. Reading the file I think he's only got more lawful crazy since we last worked with him."

"And that's a good thing?"

"Have you seen Miranda and Jacob?" Joker spun his chair back again, "They're kinda lawful evil from where I'm sitting. We need some more good or neutral. Even if they're insane."

"Lawful Evil? Shepard raised an eyebrow, "What the hell are you talking about Joker?"

"Dungeons and Dragons? A little D&D? The alignment system?" Joker smiled back at her, "It's okay, you're pretty much a paragon, you don't know about the seedy side of illegal downloads."

"Whatever. Any messages while I was gone?"

"Distress beacon from a Cerberus operative. In system. Apparently he's been captured and has information crucial to Cerberus."

Shepard marvelled at how quickly he was able to switch from the joking to being totally serious. He had changed a lot while she had been gone. She seemed to be thinking that a lot, her expectations out of sync with how the world was. "We're not going back into the fray with Garrus and Miranda still in the med bay. Let's go rescue an operative."

"Aye aye Commander."

* * *

><p>Shepard hadn't expected a high level of resistance, but the mercenaries she fought seemed to be borderline incompetent. <em>How did they ever capture a high level operative?<em> She wondered as the last of them fell to her fire. She hadn't brought any backup, and wouldn't have needed them even if they'd come.

She went through to where the signal had originated from and found what looked like a medical bay covered in human blood. The operative lay dead on an operating table in the middle of the room, and a computer was on next to him. She accessed it and files began to stream across it. She barely had time to skim it as it flew past, but she could see how dangerous it would be to Cerberus. If she passed it onto the Alliance it could even lead to the downfall of the organisation.

As if summoned by her treacherous thoughts, Miranda's voice came over her earpiece. "Don't even think about it Shepard."

"Who gave you permission to use this line Miranda?"

"As if I have to ask permission. That data is crucial to Cerberus; you are not to send it anywhere but the desk of The Illusive Man."

"Thanks for the advice; I'll take it under advisement. Joker, make a copy of this data and store it somewhere safe. Then send another copy to the Alliance, then send it to The Illusive Man with our kindest regards." She terminated the conversation before Miranda could respond, and marched out of the base smiling at the thought of Miranda fuming in the med bay.

* * *

><p>When she got back on board Miranda was waiting for her. "That wasn't very clever Shepard."<p>

"I rarely am." She nodded to Joker, then turned back to the operative. "We've been over this; I'm going to do things my way. If you don't like it…"

"Then what?" Miranda folded her arms and smiled, "What exactly will you do to me Shepard? The Illusive Man brought you back, the Normandy Mark II is his, every member of the crew is his. I'd recommend you start toeing the line, or you may find that The Illusive Man decides he has a better shot with someone else at the helm."

"And that someone would be you I presume Miranda?"

"Naturally, I was designed to be perfect."

"And yet somehow here I am in charge of this ship."

"You aren't in charge of this ship. The Illusive Man is in control of this vessel and its mission."

"The Illusive Man trusts me, ergo, I am in command."

"Then how about you ask him what he thinks about you sharing Cerberus data? See how much he trusts you then."

"I'm sure you'll let him know soon enough, so I'll save myself some time." She held up a hand to stave off any more argument, "Now, how's Garrus?"

She might have imagined it, but she thought Miranda's face might have softened, "Come down to the comm room, we need to talk."

* * *

><p>Jacob was waiting for them, "Commander," He at least had the grace to stand to attention and salute as she entered. Kasumi was leaning up against a bulkhead looking thoroughly disinterested. At least, Shepard assumed she was bored; it was hard to tell under the hood.<p>

"We've done what we could for Garrus, but he took a bad hit. The doc's corrected with surgical procedures and some cybernetics…" It didn't sound good, and the way Jacob couldn't quite meet her eyes didn't tell a better story, "Best we can tell, he'll have some functionally, but…"

"Shepard." The familiar growl behind her shouldn't have been a shock, but she still whirled round to stare as he strolled round the door, still outfitted in his semi-destroyed armour and his mandibles raised in the smile she knew so well.

"Tough son of a bitch," Jacob saved her from having to think of something to say. "Didn't think you'd be up yet."

"Nobody would give me a mirror, how bad is it?"

"Hell Garrus," She managed to pull herself together, leaning back as if she was completely fine with seeing him so beaten. "You were always ugly, slap some face paint on there, no one'll even notice."

"Heh, ow," He reached up and rubbed the side of his face, "Don't make me laugh. Damn, my face is barely holding together as it is." He nodded to her and made an effort at his real smile, the one she remembered, "Some women find facial scars attractive, mind you most of those women are krogan."

She smiled at him and nodded to the others, "This is Miranda and Jacob Taylor, they work for Cerberus."

"I think I figured that out for myself." He glanced at Kasumi, "And you?"

"Kasumi Goto, I'm a thief, I work for them."

"You still have your talent for collecting companions it seems." He stepped back, "I hope we can talk privately Commander, it would be good to catch up."

"I think that's my cue," Taylor nodded to them and headed for the door.

"We head out for the slums in twenty-four hours. Be ready."

"Yes ma'am."

Kasumi followed him without a word, leaving only Miranda, staring at the two of them. "The doctor certified you for duty?"

"That she did, I think I have her ear."

"Chakwas said that you could get out on frontline duty. With your cybernetic replacements for limbs and the multiple bits of metal holding you together?"

Shepard recognised the change in Garrus' expression. She wondered whether Miranda knew enough about turians to recognise when a smile was being forced, "That she did."

They stared each other down for a few seconds, and Miranda left, favouring her side where the bandage bulged thickly around her waist. When she had finally left Garrus turned to her and his face settled into another familiar expression as he frowned at her.

"Frankly, I'm more worried about you. Cerberus Shepard, you remember those sick experiments they were doing?"

She sighed and stared at the ground, "Like I could forget Garrus. My squad, what they did to me personally, how could I ever forget that?"

"It seems like you've forgotten. Husks, creepers, rachni, threshers. And now here we go again. Do you really think that Cerberus are interested in stopping the Reapers? All that technology available for the taking. And the Collectors? I've read the mission documents, and I didn't see any signs of an organisation dedicated to helping people, I saw signs of the organisation I know and hate, and the sorts of creatures they love to make use of."

"Garrus, that's why I'm so glad you're here." She stepped forwards and rested a hand lightly on his forearm, "I'm walking into hell, and I want someone I can trust at my side."

"You do realise that this plan has me walking into hell too?" His smile returned, and she hoped she was imagining the melancholy edge to it. "Just like old times." He straightened and saluted her, "I'm fit for duty whenever you need me Shepard, I'll settle in and see what I can do at the forward batteries."

As he left she felt a need to say something more, "Garrus?"

He looked back, and she realised she couldn't think of any way to say what she needed to. He seemed to understand though, nodding to her before he left.

* * *

><p>"Eating alone again Commander?"<p>

"Evening Joker." Shepard looked up from her MRI and smiled as her pilot came over. "Not by choice I'm afraid."

"Sounds bleak, want to tell me about it?"

"The Illusive Man found out about my little indiscretion on the mission earlier." She dug her spork into the indistinct mush and contemplated it as Joker stood in the kitchenette. "He's just spent the last hour chewing me out, and he's made it very clear that he has a lot more power over me than I'd like."

"How?"

"Garrus, Chakwas, you." She sighed and looked back at him, "You're here because you're the best, but he can replace pilots, doctors, even the members of his own dossiers." She turned back to her meal, "If I want to keep people on my crew I can trust, I need to toe the line."

"He really has got you by the balls hasn't he?"

She snorted, "I know he made some changes Joker, but I don't think they went that far."

"Is this a private party?"

Garrus was making his way down from the battery, rubbing the back of his neck and rolling his shoulders. Shepard smiled at him and shook her head, "Feel free, quite frankly I could use the company."

He went to the storage and pulled out some tubes of dextro-amino food. They hadn't had time yet to put in for some real food, so he had to make do with the same sort of paste that a quarian would normally eat. "You look as bad as I feel."

"I have had a little bit of a bashing these last few days," She admitted.

"You say to the man who doesn't even have a right side to his jaw anymore."

"Don't whine, at least you didn't die."

Joker came and sat opposite her, Garrus to her left, "I've come close enough Shepard." He still had that look in his eye, the one she had noticed when he first took off his helmet. It wasn't just the exhaustion of trying to hold back mercenaries for days on end. Something had happened to him, and he had cracked a little. She knew the look; she had seen it in her own eyes after Akuze.

She also noticed more than a little tension between Garrus and her pilot.

"So are you going to tell me what's going on between you two or am I going to have to spend three months traipsing between the cockpit and the battery asking about three questions at a time?"

The two sighed and exchanged a charged look. Oddly enough, it was Garrus who looked away and Joker who turned to speak to her. "After you died." He took a breath and started again, "The squad was close because of you Shepard, and after you died we didn't exactly gel as well as we had."

"I remember you said something."

"Wrex was a big problem. Without you there to hold him he just wanted to get back to Tuchanka and start his mad plan to reunite the krogans. Ashley was all on about how we should fight your case to the bitter end, make people see what was really going on."

Garrus took over, "Tali went back to the Migrant Fleet pretty quickly, once we'd had the... 'wake' I believe you call it. Liara was too broken up to do much of anything, and by the time she pulled herself together we were already drifting apart."

"What the hell happened to you all?" She was looking at Joker again.

"Wrex left soon after Tali, when the media circus had died down. It took so long to decide what to do about your death, we didn't even have a body to bury, that the Council had been able to start doing what they do best, pretending it never happened." He shrugged, "Wrex was never going to be one for the Council's political arguments. Once there were no more heads to bash in he just left."

"So that leaves you two and Ashley." She thought she could already see where this was going.

"For what it's worth, I don't think she meant any of what she said," Garrus was toying with a tube of paste, "Just like I didn't mean any of what I said. But they were doing everything they could to drag your name through the mud, and the turians were more than happy, as a people, to let it happen."

"I thought your people valued warriors?"

"All those deep cover missions? Strictly off the books? The only person who really knew what was going on was Councillor Valern, and he wasn't your strongest supporter while you were alive. With you dead, it was easy to start convincing people that the easier story was true. And my people believed him, why shouldn't they? He was their councillor, he must have been telling the truth."

"So the turians were against me, the Council were trying to cover it all up, and I assume the asari and salarians just didn't care enough to argue. Ashley had some sort of an explosion at you, you responded in kind, and without me there to arbitrate it got out of hand?"

"In short, yes." Joker grimaced, "He nearly broke her arm, she nearly jammed a knife into him." Shepard sensed that she was about to hear the short version of why Ashley and Joker were no longer talking. "When she asked me where I stood, I basically told her I was with Garrus. This wasn't the fault of his entire race, it was that goddamn councillor."

"She didn't take it too well."

"Can you blame her?" he managed a dry laugh and leaned back in his chair, "All those years, blaming the turians for shaming her grandfather, her family name, and just as she's learning to live with it the turians come out as the staunchest enemies of the person who helped her so much?"

"I just talked to her; it couldn't have only been that."

"Sorry," He leaned in again, "I keep forgetting you don't know. Associating with you, the black mark on the Williams family name was basically gone. Whatever the circumstances, she saved the Council and was part of the team that saved the galaxy. Not long after the argument, the word came through, she could have her pick of assignments, and she took one."

"Liara tried to make her stay, but it was too little too late, we were already broken by then." Garrus spared her a look, "I don't mean to pry, but Liara took your death very hard Shepard. I don't know if that helps, or makes it worse, but I don't think I've seen grief like it. After Williams, she left as well, I think heading to Omega, said she had to do something, but I couldn't tell you for sure."

"Thanks Garrus, it's, something."

"Anyway," Joker was now avoiding both of their gazes, "There's just me and Garrus, trying to spread the word. I've been demoted, Garrus is basically a pariah from Palaven, and we were stuck fighting an unwinnable fight. All it takes is that one argument too far, and suddenly he's off to god knows where, doing god knows what, and I'm all by myself, stuck on the Citadel. No pilot's licence, no friends, and no you." He looked up at the ceiling, "It took less than a year for us to just, fall to pieces."

"Believe me Joker, I'm not blaming you. Anyone else would have given up right after I died, that you even tried, it shows what we had."

"Told you." Garrus wasn't quite smiling, but the tone was in his voice.

"Told him what?" She asked cautiously.

"You'd hear the story, and the first thing you'd do would be to try and make us feel better about ourselves. We knew you'd ask."

"So this was all an act?"

"No, it's still tense, but you deserve to know why." He nodded to her and stood, "I have to get some sleep, these cybernetic implants are a real pain to shift around."

"We hit the slums tomorrow morning."

"Affirmative Commander, Mr Moreau."

"Garrus."

They ate in silence for a few minutes before Shepard looked at him, "Things got rough."

"They did."

"Whatever happened between you, I know I can count on the both of you, more than anyone else on this ship."

"There's the Shepard we know and love."

"I can't stand this way you talk about me. I feel like I was gone for a day, and I come back and you're all talking like I was, well..."

"Dead?"

"Yeah."

"Two years is a lot of time for things to change Commander."

She knew what he was really thinking about. "I'm sure she still feels something, even if she won't admit it. Ashley Williams was one of the most stubborn people I ever met, but she knows when something's right."

"Well maybe I'm not right."

"How about trusting me then? I know when something's right, and you are Garrus?" She waited until he looked her in the eye, "Do you think I would have kept the crew together for over half a year if I didn't think it was right?"

"I guess not Commander."

"You go get some sleep; I just need a few minutes alone."

"See you tomorrow, Shepard."

She waited until he had chucked his MRE and the elevator had whirred away, then leaned back in her chair.

* * *

><p>"<em>I know you're listening Miranda. If you try and use this conversation in any way against my crew, they'll come to me. And we'll leave your little club right then and there."<em>

Miranda watched as Shepard cleared away her dinner things and got into the elevator. She could follow the Commander, all the way into her shower and while she slept, but it was an exercise in tedium. The Commander, for all her boorishness, didn't seem to be plotting the downfall of Cerberus while she was in bed. Mostly she stared at the framed holo of Doctor T'Soni, and then tossed and turned all night.

The only thing that was clear was that she wasn't getting any sleep. If it went on for much longer it might start to affect her combat performance, and they couldn't have that.

**File Open: Mission Debrief, Archangel**

**Operative: Miranda Lawson**

**[File]**

Shepard worries me. She continues to flout the rules we try and ascribe to her, and has gotten into the habit of speaking with the crew at regular intervals. While the majority continue to act professionally, it strikes me as rather odd that she considers it a vital part of her day to spend time talking with everyone she feels she can approach.

As for Archangel, he is clearly a skilled sniper and a brilliant tactician, but I fear it may be unwise to keep another of Shepard's old team so close to her. Attached is a recording of a conversation between Shepard, Moreau and Vakarian. Her old relationship with Archangel may cloud her judgement.

**[Line Deleted]**I wonder if The Illusive Man would have recommended Vakarian if he knew of the connec**[/Line Deleted]**

Attached also for consideration by Cerberus psychoanalysts are files of Shepard's sleep patterns, which I fear are becoming irregular enough to be of concern to us. Although I can force Chakwas to administer medication, the interaction with the implants may be detrimental, and there is no guarantee Shepard will take them besides.

**[Line Deleted]**I am concerned this team will not be enough to stop the Collectors.

**[Line Deleted]**I am concerned Shepard cannot be convinced to continue this mission.

**[Line Deleted]**I am concerned I cannot

I will continue my efforts to bring either Shepard or her crewmates around to our way of thinking. The recorded files should give me some leverage. I request a background check on the old members of Shepard's crew, specifically:

Gunnery Chief Williams, Ashley

Nar'Rayya, Tali'Zorah

T'Soni, Liara, Phd

Wrex, Urdnot

**[/File]**

**[Attach]**

Recording: Mess Hall, 0030-0142 Omega Standard

Recording: Shepard's Quarters, 0150-0600 Omega Standard

**[/Attach]**

**Signoff: Miranda Lawson**

**Send File: Transport Node Aleph 1**

**Logoff: Miranda Lawson**

**Purge Databank**

**Shutdown**

_[Transmission Detected]_

_Location: Normandy Mk II, REDACTED, Transport Node Aleph 1, REDACTED_

_Author: Operative Miranda Lawson, REDACTED_

_Contents: REDACTED_

_[Transmission Intercept]_

_[/Transmission Intercept]_

_[Transmission Download]_

_[/Transmission Download]_

_[Open File]_

**AN:-** I may have gotten a little carried away with the computer nonsense. I hope it's understandable what's being deleted, kept in etc. And I'm sure everyone can guess what the italicised stuff is meant to be. I also realise now that the first one of these I did I misused 'Redacted.' I will go back and change that at some opint, I promise...

I quite like the end of this chapter actually. It's not my best writing ever, but I feel like when you have the sort of painful story Garrus and Joker are telling, you would just splurge it all out like that, and Shepard is nothing if not a good listener.

Hopefully there will be more soon, but life is enjoying getting in the way at the moment.


	11. Chapter 10: The Slums

**AN:-** And the next chapter. Turns out that now I'm officially graduated and all, I never get to have free time ever again as long as I live. Don't become an adult people, it's a bad idea.

**Chapter Ten: The Slums**

"I don't like feeling like a bench warmer Shepard, you know that."

"I'm sorry Garrus, but from all reports the plague in the slums affects everyone besides humans. I can't risk you getting sick."

"I like even less you going in with two Cerberus Operatives and a thief to watch your back." He threw Kasumi a dirty look as he finished.

"Well if it's any consolation, I think the thief is probably the most reliable of them." She smiled at his frown, "Come on Garrus, it's me. If Cerberus wanted me dead they would have, well, left me as I was, and Kasumi doesn't strike me as the sort to turn her back on the contract before I've helped her."

He regarded her for a moment, then shook his head, "How do you do it Shepard? Trust so easily?"

"Because no one's let me down yet."

"I hope I'm there to help you when they do."

"You're too young to be cynical Garrus, now stop worrying."

"Aye, aye Commander. I'll be on the comm. if you need me."

* * *

><p>The slums were even worse than she had anticipated. Omega was the refuse of the galaxy, and the slums were the refuse of Omega. The fetid smell of burnt carcasses lay so heavy in the air that she could taste it, even with her air purifier turned up to full. And underneath it an underlying sense of the wrongness of what was before them.<p>

Miranda seemed to share her sentiment. "Over the years I've grown used to the smell of burning bodies," She gave a harsh laugh that was swallowed by the noise of Omega, "That's probably a bad sign."

Privately, Shepard agreed. Maybe not the smell of burning bodies, per se, but she knew she had her own particular quirks. For a moment, images and sensations, barely remembered, flashed across her eyes. The acidic gunk of a Thresher Maw, the metallic tang that Saren's body seemed to reek as it had bent over her on the Citadel, eyes flashing red…

"Shepard?" She shook herself and turned to see Kasumi giving her a piercing look, having gone so far as to tilt her head back to reveal her eyes.

"They must be trying to keep the plague from spreading." She said, covering for her moment of distraction by drawing her pistol, "Stay close, we don't want anyone sneaking up on us."

Taylor took point, moving smoothly from cover to cover, Miranda in tow. Kasumi stayed close to Shepard, ready to provide backup if it was needed. They were barely a minute inside when Taylor held up his hand and they froze in place. Moving slowly, Shepard practically crawled forward to his position.

"Got a batarian." He told her. "Down by the wall, looks hurt."

"Alright," She sighed, "I'll go in first, unarmed, you be ready, but don't fire unless he fires on me first."

"That's a pretty big risk Shepard," Miranda said in her other ear.

"My shields are at full charge, and even if he has something powerful enough to get through, look at him," She gestured, "I bet he could hardly lift it, and even if he can," She shrugged, "Well I've been shot before."

Miranda sighed, "Alright, but I'm not going to wait until he pulls the trigger, I even see a hint of a weapon and he's going down."

Shepard inclined her head, "Just don't be too itchy on that trigger."

She stood and walked forwards, her pistol heavy on her hip and her hands up.

"Human?" He growled, "Not even waiting 'til I'm dead to work me over?" He coughed and tried to shift, but ended up falling back against the wall with a grunt of pain. "Heh, can't even stop you. You bastards brought this down on us." His next cough left blood dribbling onto his chin. "You got a bullet to spare?"

"I'm not going to kill you, I just need information."

"Ha, that's a good joke."

"No joke. You give me what I need, and I'll get you medical attention. I hear Mordin Solus is running a clinic somewhere in these slums."

"Solus? I'll be dammed if I'm going near him. Whatever he says he is, he can't be a doctor."

"Why not?"

"Because doctors can't kill three mercs with three shots when they try and muscle in on his turf."

"Solus is killing mercs?"

"Only the once, no one else wanted to risk it. He's got mechs down there and all."

"Sounds like my kind of man. Where can I find him?"

"You're looking for him?" Another hard cough, which at least sounded closer to a laugh than a death rattle. "You're just as insane as the good doctor." He shook his head, "So how about that bullet?"

Shepard triggered her medigel instead and spread it over an open wound she had noticed him favouring, "How's that instead?" She carried on treating him as best she knew, "It won't cure the plague, but it'll keep you alive long enough for someone to help you."

"Why human?"

"Because I don't like people dying when I'm around. Now," She leaned back and surveyed him, "Tell me where I can find Solus."

He nodded and gestured to some stairs leading down, "Through there, there's an plaza, and a balcony. Go past there and you'll find another set of stairs, the clinic's down them."

"I'll get Mordin to send someone for you."

"You are different human." He leaned back against the wall, "I will try and hold on."

Shepard stood and signalled her team, who came clattering up, "Come on," She muttered to them, "Let's go see the doctor."

Down the stairs they found a locked room, which acted as a beacon to Shepard. Inside there was a dead batarian, covered in plague sores, a journal entry still open, repeating a story about how the Blue Suns had locked him inside until he died.

Miranda was surveying the room with a look of mild curiosity in her eyes, "The Blue Suns must be pretty scared of this plague. Keeping people locked in their rooms?" She shook her head.

"It's sick," Shepard kicked a pistol across the floor. "I didn't think I'd ever be glad about slaughtering all those mercs with Garrus."

Taylor was looking back up the stairs they had come down, "Don't you think we should be moving Commander?"

"You're right," She stayed for a second longer while the rest of them turned, staring at the body on the floor. _Didn't think I'd ever feel sorry for a batarian._ The recording repeated again, and she turned, closing the door behind her.

* * *

><p>They came across the plaza the batarian had mentioned, and saw immediately that someone had erected a barricade at the other end, bodies burning everywhere. "I'm going to have a scout, you three stay here." She had noticed an upper level and the stairs to reach it. She dashed up quickly, pulling her rifle from her back and unfolding it.<p>

She scanned the barricade, and couldn't make out any movement. Any of the Blue Suns who were there seemed to be dead already. Just as she was folding the rifle away though, a bullet smacked into the balcony below her, followed by a hail that made her shields spark and forced her to duck under cover. Down below she heard the distinctive rattle of Miranda's submachine gun, followed seconds later by the chatter of Taylor's rifle.

With a single sweeping movement, perfected over long years of training, she stood and sighted, catching a turian shaped helmet in her visor and squeezing the trigger back until the rifle jammed against her shoulder hard and a torrent of blood blew out the back of her target's head. When the rifle came back down she found a salarian head and fired again.

Two down, and she saw more fresh bodies from her team's efforts. She spared a glance and saw that Kasumi was staying put behind the barrier. The barricade and the narrow plaza turned the approach into little more than a corridor of bullets, leaving her no room to manoeuvre. Shepard spun out again and caught a human mercenary through the throat.

There weren't many Blue Suns defending the slums. She guessed that their numbers on Omega had taken a significant hit, and EDI was telling her that the vorcha had taken advantage of the plague to steal their territory in the slums as well. The few mercenaries left went down easily.

"Everyone alright?" She led them past the barricade without waiting for an answer.

"All good here Shepard." Miranda kept pace with her, "But we're going to have much more resistance after this."

"Vorcha?" Shepard laughed grimly, "Trust me, once this is over, we'll have an idea of what real resistance is."

There was no more talking as they made their way up a set of stairs to the balcony the batarian had told her about. Keeping quiet, they were able to see the vorcha milling around below them, along with a couple of krogan. Shepard drew her rifle and motioned the others to lean in close.

"Kasumi, you should have space to do your disappearing act here, so the second the shooting starts, don't wait for my order," She waited until the thief had nodded before turning to the others, "Taylor, I want you on the ground floor, keeping up steady cover fire for Kasumi and me. I don't want you taking any chances out there, you're going to be distracting them. Miranda, keep an eye out, if Taylor needs the help, with him, but if it looks like I'm in danger, then make sure no one gets to the top of those stairs."

"Understood Shepard."

"We play this smart, it shouldn't be too hard, vorcha are hardly organised, but still, no chances, got it?"

Once all three had nodded she signalled Taylor to move out, and waited until she could see him in position below her before sliding her rifle over the top of the rail and sweeping it slowly over the targets, trying to pick the best. Her eyes lit on a vorcha standing in the middle of a small pack, a flamethrower in hand and a large tank of fuel on his back. She recognised the design even without the Cerberus memory upgrades, and almost smiled as she saw her next move.

The roar of the shot alerted the vorcha, but she had already thrown herself back behind the cover, and apparently no one realised that the flamethrower tank had been hit, because a second later she heard an explosion and at least three separate screams. The next moment Taylor opened up and the air was filled with noise and confusion.

She spent most of the battle crouched over the ledge, moving from target to target steadily, each shot a killing blow. The vorcha seemed to have near endless reinforcements, but once or twice she got lucky, and another flamethrower tank exploded to take out multiple opponents. In a matter of minutes the ground level was slick with blood and covered in body parts, some still twitching.

Everywhere she looked vorcha were toppling like flies, and the number of times she had to hastily find a new target when one dropped to Kasumi's blade was well into double digits. Eventually the flow slowed to a trickle, but the last few were going down hard. Taylor was almost out of ammo, and Kasumi's stealth generator had all but run out, leaving her stranded on the top floor with Shepard.

Eventually a huge krogan charged Taylor and sent him skidding away across the floor, before pounding up the stairs towards Shepard. She dropped the rifle and drew her pistol, spinning on her heel and opening up. The bullets didn't even seem to faze him, the bright orange blood spotting his armour nothing more than an inconvenience as he shrugged off an entire clip.

She racked the next heat sink, but he was practically on her, throwing Kasumi over the balcony and spreading his arms wide. She fired again and again as he roared at her, but aside from one bullet which punched a hole through his cheek she did only superficial damage. Just as she had resigned herself to a severe pounding, followed by probable death, there was a chatter of gunfire from behind the krogan.

He looked mildly offended as he staggered round to see Miranda, loading a fresh heat sink into her submachine gun and coolly resighting. As Shepard got a good look at his back she realised Miranda had emptied the entire clip right into his spine. _Which would be a lot more helpful if krogan didn't have a redundant nervous system for just such an occasion._ She struggled with her own pistol, but there was no need, as Miranda calmly squeezed the trigger again, and another full clip went right between the krogan's eyes.

The body toppled over, coming near enough to crushing Shepard and causing the entire landing to shake. "Nice save," She grunted at Miranda, who was busy drawing her pistol and emptying it into the krogan.

"Don't mention it. Wouldn't want to spend another two years with you as a corpse."

Satisfied that the krogan was really dead, they went downstairs to where Taylor was already helping a battered Kasumi to her feet. "Are you good to go?" Shepard asked the two of them.

Taylor shook his head, "I'm fine, but Kasumi's broken something."

"I'm sure I'll be fine." The thief told him, although she did seem to enjoy hanging off his shoulder.

"We're nearly at the clinic as it is," Shepard decided, "I guess we'll have a chance to field test our doctor before we bring him on board."

**AN:-** Job search, job search, job search yay.

I suddenly noticed that whenever I have a firefight, Miranda is the one who seems to get seriously injured. So in an effort to break this pattern, now she suddenly gets through two firefights unscathed. And of course, I'm fairly certain no one else noticed until I brought it up just now, so really this little tidbit was entirely useless.

Ah well, live and learn, next chapter may be up soon.


	12. Chapter 11: Mordin Solus

**AN:-** A nice long chapter to return to writing again.

**Chapter Eleven: Mordin Solus**

They found the clinic easily enough. Someone had been kind enough to put out neon signposts that led them the rest of the way. They passed a guard and some mechs, which focused guns on them until they had holstered their weapons. The guard gave them a smile which didn't reach his eyes, "No fighting while you're in there." She nodded to him and they went in, the smell of antiseptic and blood mingling to assault her nostrils.

There were dozens of aliens inside, some of them stretched out on benches, or huddling in corners, while others managed to stay upright, leaning on the walls or supported by companions. Everywhere she saw the effects of the plague, open sores and smears of blood on their skin and their clothes. "Where's Doctor Solus?" She asked a flustered looking man at the desk.

"He's in the back working on a patient," His eyes were fixed on the pistol at her hip as he answered, but he didn't try and stop her. Apparently he had enough faith in the doctor that not even three heavily armed soldiers worried him.

She crossed the room and found herself looking into a dimly lit surgery; a salarian with an injured horn was working feverishly over the body of a batarian on the table. He was rattling off instructions to his aide at such speed that Shepard marvelled that the assistant was able to keep up.

"Mordin Solus?" She asked cautiously.

The salarian spun and cast an eye over their party, ignoring her and going straight over to Kasumi, running a bioscanner up and down her body, "Fracture of the tibia, internal bruising, nothing too serious, she can rest over there," He indicated a space, and Taylor took her over to it.

He turned his attention to her, "Human, curious don't recognise you from area, too well armed to be refugees, no mercenaries uniform, quarantine still in effect. Here for something else? Vorcha, crew to clean them out? Unlikely. Vorcha a symptom not a cause the plague investigating possible use as bioweapon, no no no no no," He didn't seem to be stopping for breath, "Too many guns, not enough data equipment,. Soldiers, not scientists, yes, yes..."

"Relax Mordin." She held up a hand and he froze, mouth still open, staring at her, "I'm Commander Shepard and I'm here to find you, I'm on a critical mission and I need your help."

"Mission? What mission? No, no, no, no, too busy, clinic understaffed, plague spreading too fast, who sent you?"

"Ever heard of an organisation called Cerberus?"

"Crossed paths on occasion, thought they only worked with humans, alien involvement surprising, racial tension with humans unlikely to help a human-centric organisation."

"You'd be surprised, we have a turian on board right now." She stepped closer, trying to ignore the batarian's laboured breathing. Presumably Solus wouldn't be talking to her if it was essential to keep working. "Human colonies have been disappearing, attacked, we think, by the Collectors."

"Collectors? Interesting. Plague hitting the slums is engineered, Collectors one of few groups with technology to design it," She hadn't even thought of it that way, but then he had been working in the slums for weeks. "Our goals may be similar, but must stop plague first." He considered her, and she got the impression he was about to ask her to do something for her. Almost everyone she met seemed to want that. "Already have a cure need to distribute it at environmental control centre, vorcha guarding it, need to kill them."

She resisted the urge to sigh. Less than a week awake and already she was about to start on the same nonsense as last time, _'of course I can help you get into the garage Commander, just a little job I need to finish first… _She shuddered with the memory of Noveria. "I'll get in and deal with the vorcha."

He nodded and went to retrieve his cure, but before he could complete the journey there was a sudden whirring and then silence. Shepard wondered why that worried her so much, and then realised a second before Solus spoke what was wrong.

"Vorcha have shut down environmental systems," The constant whirring had been the sound of air filters working to keep the air around Omega clean enough to breathe, "Trying to kill everyone need to get district back on before everyone suffocates here take plague cure, also bonus in good faith," He drew a gun from off his back, and held it out to her. "Weapon from dead blue suns mercs, may come in handy."

Shepard took the gun and waited a moment while her memory modifications told her that it was a Carnifax, commonly referred to as the 'Hand Cannon.' She nodded to Solus and led her team out through the back of the clinic.

"One moment," She stopped and turned, "Have assistant, Daniel, left clinic and haven't heard from him. If you would..."

She nodded, "If I see him, I'll send him back."

They were barely out of the clinic before they heard shots ringing out and the Blood Pack were on them. A big krogan stood behind them, directing the battle. Shepard swore and skidded into cover, trusting her team to do the same. If the vorcha were being directed, then it was going to be a much harder fight than usual.

She drew the pistol Solus had given her and leant out from the cover, one of the vorcha had left himself half exposed, and she had a perfect shot right into the back of his spine. The gun kicked like a mule, and a massive hole appeared in his back. She reeled back into cover and shrugged her shoulder to relieve some of the tension. Most guns hadn't had recoil since the introduction of mass effect fields into the field of weaponry. To have an actual kick the gun must have been loaded for bear.

Her squad was doing their part, cutting down the numbers bit by bit, but she wanted the krogan for herself. Sliding herself carefully to the end of her cover and slid slowly towards the krogan, who was paying too much attention to the battle to notice her. Leaning out to make sure he was in range, she drew her pistol, followed by the knife she always kept tucked into her boot.

_Now or never Shepard._

She threw herself round the corner and sprinted the few feet to the enemy, leaping into the air and bringing her right hand down with full force, the knife sliding easily into the krogan's eye. Her momentum carried her further round until she was spread eagled across the ganger's back as he roared in anger and tried to throw her off. She held on with sheer determination, the knife caught in the krogan's skull, holding her in place.

Growling, she managed to get her pistol into position, sitting a little way behind the krogan's left eye. She pulled the trigger and felt herself pushed off as the recoil of the pistol broke her precarious grip. She came rolling to a stop and raised her gun again; relaxing a hair as a full ton of armoured came crashing to the floor in front of her. She spun on her heel to see that her team had already mopped up the vorcha.

She felt a grim smile tugging the corners of her mouth up. "Come on."

xxx

They raced up some stairs and found a short corridor, two doors leading off it. She pushed herself against the wall next to the door on the left and motioned for Miranda to get on the other side and open it. The moment the door slid open she heard a batarian yelling at someone about the clinic. _I suppose this would be Daniel._

She made sure they heard her as she approached. "Hello boys," They whipped round, and half a dozen guns were trained on her in a second. Behind her she heard Miranda and Taylor ready their own, but she waved a hand and they dropped them again. "What exactly is going on here?"

"He works for the doctor, and he's a human." The leader of the group stepped forwards, "He knows about this plague."

"Really? Every human must know about the plague because they don't get it? And working for a doctor who's been curing people en masse is clearly a bad idea." She crossed her arms, "The vorcha don't get it either, are you going after them?"

"The vorcha aren't smart enough." The batarian looked like he wanted to lower his weapon, which was at least some improvement on the tension. "Why do you care anyway?"

"Oh I just don't like bullying. Or killing." She nodded to the others, "My teammates however, are a lot more trigger happy, especially in the presence of non-humans, so unless you want them to start getting worried, we have two options. Either you leave this man alone, then get out of here, or..." Behind her she heard Taylor shift his aim, and thought it was probably emphatic enough.

"I'm sure human," He had been staring at her ever since she had walked in, trying to make out her face, which was half in shadow. She didn't like interacting with batarians, she was too well known among them. Ever since she had survived the raid on Mindoir, a number of batarians she had met seemed to think she was determined to hunt them down.

Recognition flickered in his face and he stepped back, his pistol raised again, "So, Shepard," The others tensed at the name, "You'd just let us go?"

She chuckled, "I'm hardly the killer you think I am. Let him go, and you get to walk out of here."

They kept the guns raised, the leader eyeing her as only a batarian could. She kept herself as relaxed as she could manage, trying to ignore what the array of weapons pointing at her could do if things went south. Focusing on the leader, she tried to keep eye contact.

He grunted, and his elbow relaxed, the gun slowly raising, "I don't wanna die. Guns down." The others glanced at him, and he barked again, "Guns down." They complied, and behind her Miranda and Taylor lowered theirs. "So what now? We just go?"

She nodded, "You might want to think about staying out of this area. Get back to Mordin Solus' clinic. We're going to be clearing out everything from here to the environment control centre."

The leader nodded, then waved at his gang. "Come on boys, let's get out of here."

Miranda waited until they were gone, then stepped up next to her, "We could well run into them in the very next room."

"Yeah, well, at least we gave them the chance."

The assistant was standing, "Thank you, so much."

"Solus is waiting for you back at the clinic."

"Yeah…" He looked sheepish, "Thanks again."

He scurried out.

"Now can we please get on with our mission?" Taylor growled.

xxx

Through door number two they found a two layer plaza, with a walkway opposite them and a team of Blood Pack armed with rocket launchers. Once more Shepard found herself sliding in behind a low wall to get out of the way as a trio of rockets blasted apart an artistically placed flower box.

_I seem to spend every fight these days crouching behind a chest high wall, waiting to pop my head up and knock some sense into a never ending stream of enemies. _She mused as she waited for a lull in the opposing fire. _Whatever happened to the days when personal shielding actually protected you from things?_ The pause she had been waiting for came, and she swung herself out of cover and stitched fire across the upper balcony.

"Miranda!" She saw the agent's hair whip round, "Get downstairs, we'll cover you." She waited another second then ducked out again and opened fire, taking out at least one of the rocket-wielding gangers. Taylor joined her, his assault rifle chattering loud enough to drown out the whoosh of another rocket.

Shepard saw it a second before it hit her and the entire world seemed to slow. The rocket filled her vision, and all she could see was the blinking blue light that signalled it was active, the cloud of smoke behind it, and the flicker of fire driving it on. Dimly she heard a shout, and the roar of gunfire, but it seemed to be coming from a long way off. She felt something inside her take over, some instinct she didn't even know she had, and almost felt the whir of the cybernetics that she now had instead of nerves and muscle. Her torso shifted, faster than she could think, and the rocket went zooming past, in slow motion to her, allowing her to see every detail, and read the serial number off the side as it blazed past.

The world returned to normal, and she was buffeted by a shockwave from behind as the rocket detonated a half foot away from her. Taylor was yelling at her, and her shield was beginning to spark dangerously under the combined firepower of the Blood Pack.

She ducked back behind cover, vaguely aware that Taylor was reprimanding her for being reckless, and slid her rifle off her back. While the world had gone into slow-motion, an event she had been wholly unprepared for by the way, she had gotten a pretty good look at the gunman, and where exactly he was hiding. She found him in the sight a second later, his helmeted head just visible above the railing. She fired and the entire top half exploded, sending him catapulting forwards where she had a clear shot right into his ribs.

"I need help down here Shepard," Miranda sounded calm, but when Shepard looked over the balcony she saw that the agent was in danger of being overrun.

"Taylor, move to assist."

The soldier nodded and threw himself over the edge, coming down hard on top of a vorcha and crushing it to the floor under his boots. _Lovely._ Shepard kept her rifle out and started to pick off some of the more exposed Blood Pack.

It seemed to take forever, but eventually the last of them fell to a combined assault from Miranda and Taylor, and they were free to go through the doors on the other side of the room and rush up the stairs, Shepard taking a split second to blow another vorcha in half.

She slid open the door and saw three massive fans straight ahead of her. _I guess this would be the Environmental Control Centre._ She didn't have long to admire it before a volley of shots went over her head. _Here we go again_. She found a suitable wall, cursing the new shielding systems which couldn't shield you from anything, and ducked behind it.

There weren't that many vorcha guarding the room, and Shepard simply sat back and let Miranda and Taylor do their thing. Once they had finished clearing up the foot soldiers Shepard raced to the first console and turned the environmental controls back on, the fans giving a disquieting rattle as they started, but soon settling into the quiet rumble that had been missing from the slums. She breathed a sigh of relief and took out the jar of antidote.

"This needs to go into the air intake filters, then it can get shoved out into the normal atmosphere." She indicated the two doors and tossed a vial each to Miranda and Taylor, "Let's just get this done and get the hell out of here."

"Understood."

xxx

She waited by the main control as her team rushed off to carry out her orders, taking some time to collect spare heat sinks from the bodies scattered round. _I know I used to collect weapon mods from my enemies, but there is a big difference between that and scrounging for bullets when I should be secure in the knowledge that my guns will fire when I need them to._ She resolved to stop whining about the ammo clips until she could find out the full story behind the conversion, but it was difficult as she found that once more her ridiculously small pouch was filled to capacity.

She turned, planning to head back to the central control unit, but a scraping noise stopped her. Crouching behind a box, she peered over the edge to see a team of vorcha coming in, actually taking the time to be stealthy instead of just barging in like she was used to seeing them do. After they had all entered a pair of krogan stomped in and started to direct them.

"Spread out, check the air intake filters, the cure will be distributed there." The vorcha split in two, each group going to a filter room. Shepard cursed softly and slid down to the ground, breathing hard.

The air filter rooms were tiny, little more than metal boxes filled with computers. No cover and no exit. If the vorcha cornered Miranda and Taylor in those rooms then it would be over in a matter of seconds. The only positive was that with the entire contingent of vorcha focusing on only two rooms, it would be child's play for her to sneak out behind the two krogan and get back to Mordin's clinic, job done and Omega saved.

She wasn't aware that she had drawn it but her pistol was in her hand, unfolded and ready for what she knew she had to do. She had tried to save the life of a genocidal madman who had been directly responsible for the deaths of one of her closest friends, she wasn't about to let two people who she at worst mildly disliked get gunned down.

She stepped up, letting the krogan see her fully, and put a shot right into the exposed neck of the one on the left. He staggered, blood gushing from the wound, but it took more than that to put down a krogan, and this one was huge. She fired again and ducked behind cover as the vorcha turned and opened up. Thankfully, the boxes in the room were stacked so closely together that she was able to move entirely undetected to behind one of the squads.

Drawing her submachine gun, she braced it in her left hand and readied the pistol in her right. Normally she wasn't a fan of such action movie tactics, but when it was one against thirty she needed firepower more than she needed accuracy. She clambered on top of the box and opened up, the recoil fierce enough to push her back a step, but it was effective. She saw nearly ten vorcha go down before they got their senses together.

She dropped back behind the box and slapped the heat sinks free, trying to get to new cover before they surrounded her, but she was rapidly running out of boxes to hide behind. She put the submachine gun back on her belt and drew the sniper rifle instead. Rolling out into the open for a moment she managed to get a look at their new positions, and to her delight saw that the big krogan was hanging back, obviously wounded.

_Next target then._

She saw a gap underneath the cover and lay down on her stomach, the rifle held almost horizontal to the ground as she sighted on the krogan. She had a moment to wonder why holding it one handed wasn't exhausting her wrist, but then the krogan wandered right through her sight and she squeezed the trigger, the rifle jerking upwards into the boxes and giving away her cover as effectively as a flare.

She adopted a half-crouch, half-run as she tried to reach the other side of the room, but they had her dead to rights. Through a gap in the boxes she saw several vorcha clambering over so they could flank her, while the others kept her pinned down with continuous fire, and the second krogan was pushing his way to the front, a huge shotgun cradled in his arms.

_If I die because of two Cerberus Operatives I'm going to be very upset._ She thought morosely, sitting with her back against the cover and jacking a new heat sink into her pistol. She stayed where she was, watching closely for signs of the vorcha she knew would be coming from the side, when a massive explosion rocked the room.

She resisted the urge to stick her head right into the firing line, and instead found another gap to look through, but all she could see were billowing clouds of smoke, occasional gun flashes illuminating a human-shaped figure making his way through the crowd.

Another explosion and she looked to the other side of the room to see Miranda's unmistakeable profile rushing through, pistol in hand. She sighed in relief and pushed herself up, pistol raised and ready. Before she could move a meaty hand wrapped around her throat and she was thrown into the centre of the room. "Shepard," A voice growled from somewhere above her, and she rolled onto her back to see the krogan looming over her, his shotgun gone but his hands reaching for her throat.

She was hoisted into the air and found herself thrashing, trying desperately to kick him, just for the sensation of doing something. "I will squeeze the life from you," There were more gunshots and he flinched a few times, blood spurting from his back, but he didn't seem to care.

She managed to land a kick on his eye ridge, but he shrugged it off and threw her into a wall, stomping after her again. She hit the wall hard, the breath forced out of her and something in her back cracking audibly, but she had managed to get a hand to her submachine gun as well. Dragging it out she emptied it into his chest at close range, but he even shrugged that off, powering through to hoist her up again. "You are nothing more than a bug to me."

"Don't you ever shut up?" A volley of shots rang out, and the krogan's head jerked sideways as bullets slammed into it, bone and brain matter flying out. He managed to stay upright, dragging his mangled head back up to stare at her one more time, before Miranda appeared from one side and jammed the barrel of her gun into the open wound and fired again and again until the slip emptied.

The krogan swayed heavily, then keeled over, letting her drop to the ground as well. Loading a third clip, Miranda tipped him over and blew what was left of his head into bloody chunks. "Animal."

**AN:-** Sooner or later I'm going to have to start giving Taylor, Kasumi and the rest some cool moments soon.

Writing anything with Miranda in it while watching Chuck is very weird. Every so often Yvonne Strahovsky will just say something and I'll be like, 'Hey, its Miranda on the TV.'

Anywho, enough of my weird celebrity crushes (Michelle Trachtenberg is hot) hopefully there will be more coming soon. Next it's time to pick up Jack.


	13. Chapter 12: Working It Out

**AN:-** Yeah, another one, but just a short one before I get to the Convict. I suddenly realised that this one was going on for a little too long, and if I tried to get them onto the prison as well the chapter would be heading to over 5,000 words.

**Chapter Twelve: Working It Out**

Shepard got to her feet, choking and massaging her throat. "Thanks for the save," She managed to grunt when she had finally got enough air back.

"Don't want to waste another two years do I?" Miranda dragged her to her feet, "Come on."

"I'm gonna need the doc to take a look at me when I get back." She muttered, collecting her weapons and reloading. When she had finished she nodded to the others, "Come on, back to Solus."

xxx

"Environmental systems engaged, airborne viral levels dropping, patients improving, vorcha retreating," Solus turned around, a smile spreading across his face, "Well done Shepard, thank you."

"And thank you from me," She hadn't seen Daniel, working in the back on a patient, but he stepped forwards now, still looking as sheepish as when she had saved him. "Those batrarians would have killed me."

"Merciful of you, risky, would have killed them myself."

She shook her head, "I'm not looking for murderers. They were willing to leave, and I didn't see their gang colours among the dead. I think I chose the right option."

He bowed his head in acquiescence. "Not criticising Shepard, letting you know my thoughts, my processes. If under your command would submit to your rules, not looking for trouble."

Daniel sensed something going on, and hurried off with a mumbled, 'I'll get back to work.'

"Good kid," Solus said as he left, "Bit naive, he'll learn. Taking over the clinic, should be able to handle it now that vorcha are gone."

"So is that an acceptance? Are you coming with us?"

The smile was back, ever so slightly smug, as he gestured to a small bag by the door, "Always ready for a new challenge. Cure here was finished, time to move on."

Shepard nodded, "Alright then, let's get you to work."

xxx

Back on board the Normandy she left Taylor giving Solus the grand tour and made her way to the cockpit. "How are things up here Joker?"

"Think I fractured my thumb on the mute button, but it got my point across," He whirled the chair round; "Garrus is looking to talk to you. He wasn't very impressed with some of your stunts earlier."

"He knows how I work, why is he getting so upset about it?"

"Maybe he's forgotten just how mad it is, or maybe he's not used to being on the sidelines. I got used to your special brand of crazy a long time ago." A sly grin crept onto his lips, "Or maybe he's in lurve."

"I can see several problems with that scenario," She grunted.

"Well, you've got known alien proclivities, and you do have so much in common."

"Guns and a shared dislike of psychopaths is hardly enough to base a relationship on. And besides, I thought enough was made of my particular preferences after the last mission."

"Oh you know the extranet. People have been writing all sorts of fiction since you were gone. Some of them seemed to think you were a dude, some thought you would have been much better off with Kaidan, or Garrus, or Wrex. Some of those first two groups overlap…"

"Joker, you and I are going to have to sit down and talk about your extranet usage one of these days."

"I read a story that opens with those exact words," He had adopted a dreamy look which she couldn't help but chuckle at.

"All right oh fearless pilot. Take us out of the system; I want to pick up our next candidate."

"Before you do Commander, we've got a mercenary requesting your services, says he's been hired to help us. Name of Zaeed Massani," She still found it disconcerting how he could switch from joking to serious in a single sentence.

She ran through the dossiers in her head, "Yeah, he's one of ours, tell him to meet us outside Afterlife in five."

"Yes Commander."

xxx

Zaeed was easy to spot. Even if she hadn't had a picture of him she would have known who she was looking for. He was a hulking six feet of muscle and armour, half his face badly scarred and stood leaning against a wall like he owned it and everything in the immediate vicinity.

"Nice and inconspicuous," She said as she leaned next to him, "No one's going to spot you like that."

"You obviously don't have much experience of Omega Shepard," He had an accent to him, one she couldn't quite place. Definitely colonial though. "On Omega, it's the ones who don't look like they're against the world that get noticed."

"I've had more than enough experience of Omega thanks." She got down to business, "The Illusive Man hired you to help us."

"Yes he did, but not just money. I've got a little job I need some help with, and you're that help."

"Strange how little the Illusive Man mentions in these files." She sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. She hadn't had a chance to meet with Chakwas, and her aches were starting to catch up with her. "What can you bring to this mission?"

"I'm an expert marksman, a deadly hitman, a former gang leader and member, and the best gorram mercenary you're likely to find this side of the Citadel." He fixed her with a look, "I'm tough Shepard, and none of that pansy shit they make SPECTREs into. I've stared into the fires of hell and come out laughing." She held his gaze, keeping her face carefully neutral. At last he snorted and turned back to staring at the club, "That's what I can bring."

"You're hired. We'll do your job, but not before I've put the rest of my crew together."

He sneered a little, "I'll see you on board then."

"We ship out within the hour."

xxx

"So this is rather a new development for you."

"How so?"

She was starting to really enjoy her dinners with Garrus and Joker. They reminded her of a better time, when there had been more of them, all gathered around a very similar table on a very similar ship. She even found herself deliberately waiting to eat until she knew they were gathering.

"I would never have thought you'd have a mercenary on the ship."

"Wrex was a mercenary."

"Yes, but he came with us for free, largely for the satisfaction of fighting Saren and winning. Zaeed is, well, he's a lot more mercenary."

"I suppose," She spooned some indefinable mush into her mouth and chewed, thinking it over, "But as long as the Illusive Man's paying him, he's on our side."

"And if someone else offers him a little more money?"

"You really think he'd sell us out?"

"The sort of work I've been doing the last two years, you learn how to spot the bad ones. He'd turn on us in a heartbeat."

"Always the ray of sunshine," Joker came hobbling over with his meal, "I'm sure everything will be just fine. Shepard will do her thing; he'll end up utterly devoted to her, and in a few months we'll go through the Omega 4 Relay and he'll doubtless do something heroic and stupid, survive miraculously and we'll all laugh about it later."

"You have so much faith in my leadership," She grumbled into her meal.

Garrus nodded, "Of course we do. Look at what you achieved in such a short time. Three months and you put together a team capable of taking down Saren and a fully fledged Reaper, and you built it out of what? A mercenary, a quarian, a scientist, a cop and your two marines. It's like a movie, not real life."

"Yeah, but I didn't change who you were underneath, I just kept you together."

"Shepard, before you came along I was the lone ranger of my department, and they hated me for it." He waved a finger at her, "I couldn't work well with other officers, I was always on my own searching for tips, and I didn't exactly respond well to authority." He returned to his meal, "I might have made a failure as a commander, but after you died, I went to Omega, put a team together, and had a damn good try at being the sort of Commander you were, and I wouldn't have been able to if you didn't show me how."

"You always make it sound more glamorous than it is, I don't have any sort of special powers that make people like each other more."

"Well what about Wrex?" Joker chimed, "He's making a good show of reuniting the most infamously warlike and hard to unite race in the galaxy. You don't think he just picked that up from mercenary school do you? And what about Ashley or Tali? Ashley got promoted, Tali's got her own little squad, or had…"

Shepard finally nodded, "All right, so maybe I taught you all something, but this team is different. I don't feel like I'm going to be able to get through to them."

"Well maybe it's just going to take time."

She shook her head, "I was with you guys less than a week before you started to respond to me, started to work as a team." She stopped eating, leaning back in her chair and rubbing her face, "It's been nearly two weeks, and still Miranda and I are butting heads at every turn. I've barely spoken to Taylor, Kasumi's just been locked up in her little room. I can't connect to them."

"You'll get there Shepard. You've been dead!" Garrus smiled at her, his genuine smile, "You're the hero of the damn galaxy, and you're the best commander I've ever served under."

She smiled at him, "So are you going to tell me what happened while you were on Omega?"

He suddenly seemed very interested in his meal, "What do you mean?"

"Something happened to you Garrus. It wasn't my death, and it wasn't the crew falling apart." She took a long draw from her drink, "So what was it? It must have happened on Omega, and you didn't have a team when we found you."

"Not now Shepard." His tone told her in no uncertain terms that there would be nothing gained from forcing the issue.

They ate in uncomfortable silence for a few minutes before Joker said, unnecessarily loudly, "So, how 'bout them red shirts? Man they've had a slow season!"

Garrus stared at him, "I don't understand a word you just said."

xxx

Miranda was getting very bored with watching security footage. Joker was given to babbling the most inane things, while Garrus sat there silently, and Shepard occasionally grunted an affirmative.

"_You know what, I've been wondering about some things."_

"_What things Joker?"_

"_Rations. Do you ever wonder about whether it might be better to have dry weather rations and cold weather rations?"_

Miranda leaned back and rubbed her eyes, resisting the urge to groan. _Are they seriously going to talk about rations now?_

Shoving away from her console, rather convinced that they weren't going to be discussing anything important in the next few hours, she returned to her computer, settling in to write some more reports. She needed a full evaluation of the good doctor, everything from psych to field tests. What with Kasumi and Zaeed as well, she was looking at a lot of paperwork to get done.

_Oh the life I chose._

**AN:-** Yeah, I kind of stole a bit from _Chuck._ In that show, Yvonne's character is the nice agent, while Adam Baldwin's character is the one who always spies on everyone. And at one point Morgan and Chuck have a four hour conversation about what sort of sandwich to take to a desert island. Yeah, I've reached the point where I am just stealing material, until I can learn how to write properly again.

I actually quite like this moment at the end with Miranda. I always got this sense that she kept the tough exterior up just because that's how she got through the day, whereas when she was alone she could actually feel things. This is even kind of supported in game. When you talk to Miranda about her sister, she really opens up, and clearly she had all these feelings buried under the surface, only surfacing when she's alone or trusts someone. So while watching the security footage, she gets bored and actually lets it show.

Rightie-ho then. Time for me to sleep and start writing again in the morning.


	14. Chapter 13: The Convict

**AN:-** A word to the wise, when you're out of university and looking for a job, make sure that when you do take one that it is what you think it is. I just quit the job I got after four and a half days. Man was taking it a mistake.

Anyway, as always you aren't here to read about my rambling life, so enjoy the next chapter.

**Chapter Thirteen: The Convict**

"Well you're fit for duty Shepard, but I want you to take it easy."

Shepard rolled her shirt back down, "You know me doc, I like the quiet life."

Chakwas merely hmmed as Shepard pushed herself off the examination table and smiled at her. "So if I'm fine for duty, why are you looking at me like there's something wrong?"

"We need to talk properly Shepard, about what Cerberus did to you, how they brought you back."

"Okay," She sat opposite the doctor, "What do we need to talk about?"

"You're aware that when Cerberus brought you back, they implanted things inside you? You might have seen the results already. Your reaction times are better, your muscle strength, your stamina, your ability to take in data and process it."

Shepard had a vivid memory of the rocket she had managed to dodge, "I've noticed some things."

"Well the idea behind them was to make you into something more than human. A super soldier who would be capable of taking on the Reapers head on." Chakwas sighed and toyed with a clipboard, "By all accounts they succeeded, but you woke up too soon, so they didn't have time to give you all the details on how your new body would work, or your new brain."

_That was unexpected, _"My new brain?"

"Well, not exactly new, but upgraded. Memory implants for weapons statistics, strategies, enemies. They should remain dormant until you need them, but you don't have any control over your access to them right now. They happen whether you want them or not. And your reflexes and strength will fluctuate as well based on need. You have enough strength to flip a mako over right now, but it won't be readily available to you."

"So why do I need to know this, if it'll only come out on cue then surely it'll only ever work when I need it to."

"You need to know because the human body isn't designed to work this way. Those Cerberus doctors were so concerned about whether they _could _make you better they never stopped to wonder whether they _should._"

"Could I be in danger if it continues?"

"If you don't learn to control it, yes. Taking in information at the rate you now can could overload your mind. Pushing your muscles and bones to their new limits will weaken them. And no one really knows what long term effects memory implants can have on a person."

She must have noticed the horror creeping into Shepard's expression, because she stopped toying with the clipboard and smiled kindly, "Don't worry; I'm going to help you with this. I've read your file front to back enough times to know what I'm dealing with; I suggest you start by doing the same."

"And in the meantime?"

"Try not to get into any situations where these responses might be triggered. A gunfight, a foot chase, a fist fight. These are all things your body is capable of dealing with naturally, it's only when you find yourself trying to outrun a rocket or hand to hand with a krogan that the defences will kick in."

"Understood," Shepard stood and forced a smile, "Thanks doc, I get the feeling I'm going to need a lot more of your advice."

"I'm always here Shepard."

xxx

"This is Normandy SR-2 requesting permission to board."

Purgatory was an unpleasant looking place. A station floating in the middle of bugger-all and nothing, grim and grey and more than a little grimy as well. Shepard had seen a lot of space stations, and even the worst of them had tried to look a little appealing. Omega had their neon lights everywhere, the Citadel seemed to always be sparkling and clean. This station looked like what it was.

"This is Normandy SR-2 requesting permission to board."

Joker had been hailing them for nearly fifteen minutes, which usually wasn't a good sign. Shepard tried to hide her impatience as she stood behind Joker listening to the creak of her team's armour. Kasumi was sitting the mission out on Chakwas' orders, but she had Garrus, Miranda and Taylor with her. Garrus in particular was shifting every few seconds.

"Stay calm people," Shepard muttered, "It doesn't mean anything. Maybe it's just a busy day for them."

"They've known we were coming for over a week now," Miranda sounded tense, "This shouldn't be taking that long."

"Maybe the long arm of Cerberus doesn't extend this far."

The comm crackled and a brusque turian voice issued from it, "Normandy SR-2, you are cleared for docking; you will meet with official representatives before proceeding into the facility."

"What charming people." Joker took them in, "Kinda like our reception committee on Noveria."

"Different time, different people Joker," Shepard nodded to her team, "Let's get ready to move out."

xxx

There was a squad of four waiting for them, clad in Blue Suns armour. Shepard had read the files, she knew that the mercenary group ran the prison, but it was still an effort not to draw her gun on sight.

"Welcome to the Purgatory Shepard. Your package is being prepared, and you can claim it shortly." One of the turian guards stepped forwards, "As this is a high security vessel, you'll need to relinquish your weapons before we proceed."

She let her left hand drop to rest on her pistol, hearing the scrape of Garrus' boot as he shifted into a combat stance. The mercenaries around the room tensed, but didn't go so far as to raise heir guns. "I can't do that," She said calmly.

"Everyone stand down," Another turian came marching into the room, authority radiating from him, "Commander," He gave her an insincere smile and his voice turned gentile, "I'm Warden Kuril, and this is my ship. Your weapons will be returned on the way out, you must realise this is just a standard procedure."

She shook her head slightly, "It's my standard procedure to keep my gun." She fixed him with a look, which was difficult as he seemed to be avoiding her eyes despite keeping his face to her, "I am a SPECTRE Warden, in Council space I have the power of the Council behind me."

He nodded grudgingly, "Let them proceed. Our facility is more than secure enough to handle three armed guests." The smile was back again. She couldn't figure out why, but there was something about him that was very disconcerting. "We're bringing Jack out of cryo, as soon as the funds clear you can be on your way. If you'll follow me to out-processing for the pickup Commander."

She returned his smile with one of her own, just as bland, "Lead the way."

As they followed the warden into the prison, Garrus stepped up next to her and bent low, his voice so quiet she could barely hear it. "In my culture, turians without facemarkings are known to be untrustworthy. There's something off about this guy."

She nodded, finally realising the source of her discomfort, "Good advice, but then again, he is a mercenary."

"I know, but this whole setup feels off to me."

"Well be on your guard, I know I'm going to be."

xxx

"Cellblock two," Warden Kuril's voice had lost its sleazy undertone, but was now filled with genuine pride. "As you can see we keep tight control over the population. Each prisoner's cell is a self contained, modular unit." He turned to her and smiled, "I've blown a few out the airlocks as an example." He moved on, leaving her to stare at the blocks on the wall, looking more like storage spaces than anything else. "The ship is made up of thirty cell blocks identical to this one, we house thousands of criminals."

They kept walking down the rows, Garrus twitching more and more as they got deeper in. She wanted to tell him to calm down, but she didn't want to alert the warden that they thought something was wrong. Kuril was still going through his tour, "We can put the whole place in lockdown on a moment's notice, nothing goes wrong here."

Shepard could hardly believe that, "Have you had any escape attempts?"

He laughed out loud at that, "We're in space, they have nowhere to go and they know it." His entire manner shifted in a heartbeat, "But still, we exercise extreme caution. These are dangerous individuals. We have many ways to control the population." They had reached an intersection, and he waved them down one route, "I'm going to confirm that the funds from Cerberus cleared. Outprocessing is straight down this hallway. Just keep going past the interrogation rooms and the supermax wing."

She nodded, "Thanks for the tour, it's…" She forced a smile, "It's quite a place you've put together."

He returned the smile and headed off.

Miranda stepped up to her and gripped her arm, "I don't like this Shepard," She hissed, "He's hiding something, and you know about turians and face markings, right?"

"I know, but what other choice do we have? We start shooting and this whole place will be on us in seconds."

"So what do we do?"

"We follow the hallway, and we get Jack, and we get the hell off this tub before something bad happens to us."

"And if something bad happens before we get Jack?"

"Then we improvise." She glanced up and down the hall and bent in close. They all leaned in as well, and she muttered, "Stay ready, Miranda, can you keep your biotics up, but low enough that no one can detect them?"

She nodded, "I can, but not for too long."

"Good, Garrus, maybe you should turn that little eye scope thing on now," She looked up and saw that it was already activated, "Okay, one step ahead of me there, Taylor, just, be ready."

They all nodded, "All right, let's go."

They carried on down the hallway, Garrus stopping halfway down to smack one of the guards over the helmet. Shepard stopped and stared at him, noticing that the guard was watching one cell in particular, where another guard was beating a prisoner heavily.

"This is degrading, for you as much as him. You can't even get good information this way."

The guard squared off to him, "Are you telling me how to do my job?"

"Yes I am."

"Garrus," She stepped slightly in front of him, meeting his eye until he looked away. She turned to the guard, "Stop this, it's not worth it."

She saw it in his eyes, and after a second he broke, "Yeah, it is kind of hard to watch." He banged a hand on the glass, "Knock it off, he's had enough."

They moved on, Shepard trying hard not to look back. She knew that Garrus was, and as they rounded the corner she paused for a second to breathe deeply before leading them through to the supermax area.

They were almost out the other door when Kuril's voice came over the loudspeaker. "My apologies Shepard. You're more valuable as a prisoner than as a customer. Drop your weapons and proceed into this open cell, you will not be harmed."

_Idiot,_ She whirled round, her pistol already filling her hand. Miranda was glowing a vibrant blue and Garrus had his rifle in hand. Taylor was a step behind them, but he was ready in a second. _Should have waited until we were in the cell. Moron._ Guards and technicians were advancing on them.

"Maybe I can change your mind," She said, smiling a little.

One of them opened fire. _Maybe not then. _She didn't even have to fire a shot, her team did all the work, and as the door at the other end opened to reveal a small group of FENRIS mechs, Miranda waved a hand and slammed them together, creating a little heap of metal and sparks.

"I hate to say I told you so…" Garrus growled.

"Oh shut up and follow me."

xxx

They sprinted back the way the warden had gone, blasting the guards on the way. The resistance was minimal, but Shepard had seen the files on Purgatory, and if the warden could get the signal out then there would be thousands of them.

They skidded into a control room and Shepard shot a technician through the neck. She paused for a moment to marvel at the shot she had just managed, then hurried to the console and worked her way through some menus until she managed to bring up the containment unit. A label appearing that identified her as 'Jack.'

Miranda pushed past her, "I can open this."

"If we hack that control, every door on the cellblock opens." Garrus didn't exactly sound worried about the idea.

"Well it certainly would distract the guards…" Shepard considered it, staring down as the cryo unit came into view.

"It's the only way to get Jack out of cryo," Miranda looked up at her, "Should I?"

"Well we can't exactly leave her here," Shepard sighed and drew her pistol; "Let her out."

Miranda nodded and typed in some controls, then stepped back and drew her submachine gun, "All hell is about to break loose."

Below them they saw Jack stirring, and a squad of YMIR mechs shifted into place, their cannon arms focusing on her. Shepard drew her pistol and fired a few bursts into the window, but it was bullet proof. _Need to find a way to help her before she gets turned into a puddle of goo._

The others rushed to help her, Garrus taking the old fashioned route of slamming on the glass with the butt of his rifle while Miranda fired up her biotics again, but before she could strike there was an explosion below them. Shepard looked down, expecting the worst, but all she could see was a blue blur and the smoking legs of two of the mechs.

"That's impossible," Miranda actually looked shocked. "No one's that powerful."

Shepard gave her a look, "You mean, you're not that powerful."

Miranda glared at her, "It's the same thing, I was made to be perfect, she cannot be that good."

There was a massive crash below them and they looked down to see bits of metal flying off into the room. "No way…" Taylor sounded somewhere between afraid and appreciative.

"Alright then, looks like she _is_ more powerful than you," Shepard brought her gun up and aimed it at the door, where she could hear someone trying to get in. "Better get ready, looks like they figured out where we are."

xxx

They fought their way through the Blue Suns, Shepard wishing she didn't feel quite so good about being able to take out the prison. Maybe the prisoners here were bad enough to deserve it, maybe they were political prisoners or innocents offloaded by their governments, but one way or another, the whole place felt rotten.

Periodically they heard Warden Kuril over the speakers, quite helpfully informing them of where he and Jack were. The only problem was that Jack's route seemed to be self-sealing, what with the collapsing bulkheads and massive destruction she was causing. Following Kuril was much easier, since all his troops were trying to reach him along the same route Shepard's team were going.

After several minutes of tense firefight they eventually burst into a wide open concourse, Blue Suns managing to draw themselves into regimented lines, taking cover behind blast shields and mowing down the prisoners who had managed to get this far. Most of the prisoners were poorly armed, nothing more than the shivs they had fashioned, but one or two had managed to lay their hands on assault rifles, likely taken from dead guards.

Shepard paused for a moment and scanned the room. If this was where the Blue Suns were massing then it made sense that Kuril was there. She spotted him a second later, a massive sniper rifle in his hands as he raced towards a semi-circle of control panels. Before she could raise her rifle and fire he made it to cover and with a deep electric throbbing a force field surrounded the warden.

"We need to bring that down," Garrus was at her side, picking off prisoners and mercs alike with deadly precision.

"Those towers would seem the obvious choice," Miranda gestured to the two massive pylons that had risen out of the deck and were sending streams of energy arcing into the force field. "I know those generators though; they have redundancies on top of their redundancies. Even if we took both down, there would only be a couple of seconds before they re-established the connection."

"Alright," Shepard pulled them down behind cover and worked over the situation. After a second she had a solution, "It seems simple enough." She told them, "Garrus and Miranda, you take the generators. Taylor and I stay here and cover your approach. The second the field is down, I take Kuril."

"Can you make that shot?" Miranda sounded very uncertain.

She nodded, "Of course I can."

Garrus nodded in support of her, "She's a better shot than me, and that was before you put all that auto-aiming junk in her head."

Bullets peppered their cover; "Move out," She ordered, "We may only get one shot at this."

As her team moved out, Kuril's voice came echoing over the loud-speakers. "You're valuable Shepard, I could have sold you and lived like a king. But you're too much trouble, at least I can recapture Jack!"

She stood, swung her rifle round and blew the head off a human merc in one fluid movement, then yelled, "Not happening. You're a two bit slave trader and I don't have time for it."

He kept on talking, "I do the hard things civil governments are unwilling to. This is for the good of the galaxy."

"The good of the galaxy?" Shepard could see Garrus and Miranda were almost in position, if Kuril just kept talking for a few seconds longer… "You're completely insane. You're not even a mercenary, you're just a petty criminal."

"Lesser minds are always jealous of what they can't understand. Why can't you see that what I'm doing here is beneficial to everyone?"

Shepard was saved from having to answer when the domes suddenly exploded, and the field dropped. She stood, ignoring the warden's wild shot, which flew over her should close enough that she heard the whistle of the round. In her sights his head was magnified to the point where he could have been standing right in front of her. It was the sort of shot she made in her sleep, and she only wasted an extra second breathing out to the point where she could hear her blood flowing in her head.

The rifle jerked and the warden dropped in a fine dark blue mist, his body obscured as the shields came back up. The remaining mercenaries jerked round to see what had happened, and when they caught a glimpse of his body through the shifting energy patterns most of them panicked. Shepard signalled to let them go, there was no reason to chase them down, especially with all the other mercenaries on the prison ship. They regrouped in the centre of the concourse.

"How do we get back to the ship?" Taylor asked.

Miranda was checking her omni-tool's map. "There should be a cut through somewhere around here, as long as Jack hasn't destroyed it."

"Can you locate her on that thing?"

"No, but there's a security alert going off in the docking bay. I'd say she's found the Normandy."

They sprinted through the corridors and arrived at the station overlooking the ship just as a short human skidded to a halt and stared through the glass.

"Cerberus." They heard her mutter. Shepard slowed to a halt, and the sound seemed to bring the convict to her senses, "What the hell do you want?"

Shepard had spoken to a lot of people who had seemed more riled up before. She held up her hands and spoke calmly, "You're in a bad situation, and I'm gonna get you out of here."

"Shit, you sound like a pussy." Shepard felt her eye twitch. Some of her crew weren't the most formal, but a life of naval discipline sometimes made it hard to listen to people who swore so easily. "I'm not going anywhere with you, you're Cerberus."

"I'm here to ask for your help."

"You show up, in a Cerberus frigate," She flung a hand out to indicate the ship, "To take me away somewhere? You think I'm stupid?"

_In as many words, yes, _"This ship is going down in flames." She said instead, "We can get you to safety and we're asking for your help."

Miranda stepped up to Shepard's ear, "We could just knock her out and take her."

Evidently Jack had heard, "I'd like to see you try."

"We're not going to attack her." Shepard fixed Miranda with a look until she had stepped back, which seemed to make Jack a little happier, or at least less hostile.

"Look," She said, arms folded, "You want me to come with you, make it worth my while."

"That would be easier if I knew what you wanted, but I'll do what you ask."

"Don't make promises you can't keep." She seemed to be considering it,. and finally came to a decision, a slow smile spreading across her face and making her look more like a big cat than a human, "I bet your ship's got lots of Cerberus databases, I want to look at those files, see what Cerberus has got on me. You want me on your team? Let me go through those databases."

Shepard nodded, _Two birds with one stone, _"I'll give you full access."

"Shepard you're not authorised to do that!" _Oh, maybe three birds with one stone, I get to annoy Miranda as well._ Shepard kept her face carefully blank, watching Jack for signs of agreement or argument.

"Aw, it upsets the cheerleader, even better." For a split second Jack's corona flared a deep and unstable blue, as if just to remind Shepard what she was taking on, "You'd better be straight up with me. So why the hell are we standing here?"

**AN:-** I don't like Jack very much.

I thought I'd just get that out of the way so people knew what to expect. There were just certain characters, as in ME1, that i never got on with. In Mass Effect 1 it was Wrex. I could never quite get to love the big lug like everyone else seemed to. I didn't use him in my teams, except when I had to, I didn't talk to him unless I had to, so when it came to writing _Into Greatness_ I really wasn't that adept at using him as a character.

Same here. Although I', being quite anti-Miranda right now, I actually love her character, and I love the way she changes through the story, because to me that's fascinating. Probably the best indicator of why I like or dislike characters is their capacity to change. Wrex doesn't change in ME1 (he changes in the interim period) he leaves it exactly the same as when he arrived.

In ME1: Liara becomes more confident, Tali becomes more at ease with leaving the Migrant Fleet and more assured of her decision to return, Garrus goes from believing in getting the job done no matter what the cost to believing in the right way of doing things, Kaidan becomes more open about his problems, Ashley becomes much less xenophobic. Wrex... doesn't change.

In ME2: Tali wrestles with being banished, but eventually comes to accept her new life and you as her captain, Garrus is drawn slowly out of the depression he fell into and again has to lose some of his vigilante spirit. Miranda realises Cerberus isn't as good as she thought, Mordin accepts that the genophage has caused great damage to the krogan, Legion learns to work with a quarian and with humans. Grunt realises his purpose in being born.

But there are a lot more static characters as well, Thane doesn't change, Samara doesn't change, Taylor doesn't change, Jack is on the border (she changes a lot more if you're a male character romancing her). Some of this of course comes down to whether you romance them or not, but even then, the question is always 'does their base personality alter significantly from the norm?' And I don't think it does, this makes them, to me, less interesting.

Feel free to correct me in your reviews, I take everything you say on board.


	15. Chapter 14: Tension Rising

**AN:-** So. Two years huh? I might need to ease back into this one a bit slowly.

**Chapter Fourteen: Tension Rising**

"Welcome to the Normandy Jack." Shepard was leaning against a wall in the comm room, not really paying attention to the debriefing Miranda was giving. Garrus was there as well, watching the convict with barely concealed discomfort. "I'm Miranda, Shepard's second in command. On this ship we follow orders."

Jack sized her up for nearly a minute, before turning to Shepard, "Tell the Cerberus cheerleader to back off Shepard; I'm here because of our deal."

Jack seemed to have an uncanny ability to press people's buttons. Either it was going to make her an invaluable member of the team, or there was going to be a murder mystery to solve soon as well. "Miranda will let you into the system; let me know what you find."

"Hear that precious, we're going to be friends. You, me and every embarrassing little secret." Miranda snorted and for a second looked a lot like an enraged horse, then she spun on her heel and marched from the room. Jack seemed to calm down a little with her gone, "I'll be reading down in the hold, or somewhere near the bottom. I don't like a lot of through traffic, keep your people off me, better that way."

Shepard nodded, "Understood."

Jack left her and Garrus alone, the turian giving her a look she knew very well. "Don't give me that Vakarian," she told him, pushing off the wall and resting her hands on the long table, "Even if she wasn't the strongest human biotic I've ever seen, even if she didn't have a history of surviving in extreme situations, even if she wasn't an expert fighter, I'd still have to get her because The Illusive Man wants me to."

"I didn't say anything," Garrus said smoothly, coming round the table to join her, "I just wonder whether it's a good idea to have her down with all the engines and delicate electrics."

"She's not going to blow up the ship."

"Maybe not, but she might try and commandeer it."

"What would she gain?" Shepard led him back round to the elevator, "The ship can only be flown by one person if the AI is working as well, and I doubt EDI would help her get away."

They didn't have to wait long until they were on the right floor, but it gave Shepard enough time to form her next question, "I know when something's bothering you Garrus. You know I can help, so why not just ask?"

"I'm still not ready Shepard. I'll talk, trust me, but I need more time."

She wasn't going to let him off that easily, "I know what it's like being a commander Garrus. You can only bitch upwards. You haven't even had an upwards to bitch to for so long you've forgotten how to bitch properly. Well I'm here now and you bitch to me, and then I bitch to The Illusive Man, and he has to deal with all our bitching. Does that make sense?"

He shrugged, "You said bitch so much it doesn't even seem like a real word."

"The point is that you can talk to me Garrus, and I expect you to."

They had reached the gunnery post, "You've made your point Shepard, and I'll tell you everything, but I think right now we both need some sleep."

"I'm going to be eating in about an hour, are you going to be there?"

"Wouldn't miss it."

When Shepard got back to her room she had two messages waiting on her private terminal. Curious, she opened them and read the names of the two senders.

_Kate Bowman_

_Martin Burns_

Her memory stirred, but couldn't quite add faces to the names. Curious, she opened the first one and skimmed it, a smile appearing as it came back to her. The blonde haired engineer. Defiant to a fault and so brave. The message mentioned a memorial for her death (oops) and a celebration for them saving the colony.

She smiled properly, enjoying the feel of it on her face. She hadn't smiled properly in a while now, but seeing the message, looking back on a time in celebration... She remembered Asteroid X57 from less than six months ago, but for Kate it had been two years, and she had clearly moved forward instead of becoming stuck in the tragedy of losing her brother, and the thought of Terra Nova, alive and well because of her actions, was comforting in a way she hadn't even known she needed.

The next one was from Martin Burns, the councillor she had saved from biotic extremists. She remembered that Kaidan had been an L2, like the terrorists. Suffering from the same headaches and aches and pains of being a second gen only. The message was longer than Kate's, and she was surprised to see how honest he was being about his own shortcomings. But the L2s were getting their reparations, just as he had promised. And he had given a promise to help her as well.

She wouldn't draw on it, not yet, but Shepard took such promises seriously. To contact him now, while she was still so deeply entrenched with Cerberus, would only serve to destroy his reputation and bring him down. But when she got free, if she needed it.. She saved the message and pushed away from the desk.

During her command training, shortly before Akuze, she had been given a lesson in the face of command by a Captain Willis. He had been one of her least favourite tutors, and more than once they had come to arguments during his lectures, but he had given her the single most important lesson of her career. People need to see commanders. Not only as a lonely figure standing above them on a CIC platform, but down in the ranks.

So she walked.

When she was stationed at Fehl Prime as a 2nd Lieutenant she had walked the platoon barracks, talking to the men about their reasons for joining up, their reasons for fighting, what they had waiting for them back home.

When she was stationed with the 8th Rifles as a 1st Lieutenant she had walked the garrison, learning about how the unit functioned together, how they reacted to the aliens they saw on a daily basis, and how she could help with all their issues.

When she was finally aboard the Normandy commanding her own crew she walked as a matter of instinct. She would find that without even consciously thinking about it she had found herself in the engineering section talking to Chalke, or upstairs in the CIC leaning over Donnely's shoulder to ask him about his latest video log of life in space. The series had been fairly popular two years ago...

Now she was on the new Normandy, and she had yet to walk it once. She had toured it certainly, making sure she knew where everything was, but walking it and touring it were two separate things in her mind.

She wandered the crew sections, checking briefly on the sleeping half. If crew were particularly disturbed sleepers it might be cause to worry about their health, but everyone was sleeping soundly. She went over to the side where the currently awake and working crew members were. Cerberus vessels were pretty simple in that regard. Half the ship would sleep while the other half worked, switching shifts every few weeks.

She found a couple on a break, sharing a drink in the crew quarters. She mentally flicked through the crew files and was fairly certain they were called Rolston and Pavel or Patel. They were looking through a holo-image collection that she couldn't quite make out. She cleared her throat softly to let them know she was there, but before they could jump up and salute she waved them down.

"No need to get formal," she said, pulling out a chair and sitting down with a relieved sigh. "I just wanted a chat."

"A chat?" Patel sounded suspicious.

"I like to get to know my crew," Shepard explained. It wasn't the first time someone had thought she was crazy for talking to the rank and file. "I don't want you to just be names on a dossier who I never get to know." She turned to Rolston, "did I hear you talking about your family there?"

She had found the right subject it seemed. His face lit up and he showed her the holo-image, which showed a tired but smiling young woman holding a very pudgy looking baby. The baby was dressed in some sort of shimmering blue lacey thing and was waving its hands at the camera.

"Your daughter?" She asked.

He nodded. "My little Christina. She'll be one in a month."

"I'm afraid we might be out on mission in a month."

He nodded. "It's important she lives to see her first birthday. And if I can make sure of that by being here, then here is where I need to be."

"How about you Patel? Any family?"

The woman nodded, easing up a little after Rolston had been so happy. "I've got a fiancé back on Trebin, the colony's only just getting started, but he's happy to be doing something worthwhile."

"I remember Trebin." It had been a pretty harrowing mission, going into a dark, dank tunnel with zero visibility and cybernetically enhanced colonists intent on killing her. "Wasn't it an ExoGeni development?"

Patel nodded. "It was, but after the failure of the first colony Cerberus decided to send in a team of their own to make sure things stayed clear."

"That's good," Shepard said, wondering just how quickly Cerberus had snatched up the machine tech that was hidden there before the new colonists arrived. "And he's right, it's a worthwhile cause setting up new colonies."

"I'm just worried about him, out there on the rim. And Rolston, his wife is on New Canton with their new baby."

"Well that's what we're here for isn't it?" She said. "We make sure that no one gets that far. I've had more than enough experience with keeping raiders and pirates away. And besides, I could always talk to Miranda for you, if you're really worried."

The look on Rolston's face said it all. Shepard nodded and smiled. "I'll make sure your families are safe, both of them." She stood and nodded to them both. "You just make sure you're ready to go back to them, okay?"

As she walked away she felt her spirits raise a little. It might not be much, but it was better than nothing.

Next she went to Miranda's office. It was time for a chat, and it wasn't one she was going to enjoy.

"That was a nice gesture you made to Rolston," Miranda said as the door cycled open.

"It wasn't a gesture," Shepard said smoothly, waiting until Miranda had gestured to the empty seat before sitting down. "I meant what I said."

"I'm sure you always mean what you say. But when you make enforcing it my job you have to expect me to comment."

"Can we just stop this for a minute Miranda?"

"Stop what?"

"I've been too hard on you. I've been needling you when it wasn't necessary, and there might be one or two times I've done something stupid just to annoy you."

Miranda just stared at her.

"I'm not expecting to get lifetime friends out of the next few months; I'm not even expecting a team like I had last time. But that doesn't mean we should be at loggerheads every day. I've been unprofessional. I'm sorry."

Miranda examined her for another few seconds and then sighed, leaning forwards and smiling ruefully. "If I'm honest Shepard, it would have been easier if you didn't apologise."

"How so?"

"Well now you're not the hardass I thought you were. But I appreciate the gesture. And I suppose I should apologise as well. I imagine I've been a little insufferable to you as well."

"That's not exactly the way I'd put it," Shepard said with a smile.

"Well how would you put it?"

"My military training prevents me from saying the word. My colonial background however..."

"I think I get the picture." Miranda's smile seemed genuine enough. "Alright then. A clean slate."

"I still oppose the Illusive Man you understand."

"And I still support him."

"I suppose the question is do you support me?"

Miranda considered that one for nearly a whole minute of silence. Finally she nodded, very slowly. "I suppose I do."

"That's enough for me then."

As she stood and made to leave Miranda asked, "do you trust me?"

Shepard paused, thinking hard. It was true, Miranda had saved her life several times now. But there was still no doubt that if the Illusive Man asked she would sell Shepard and the crew out in a heartbeat. "Not yet," she said. "But I still want you at my back in a firefight. And that's not nothing."

Miranda didn't look offended. Shepard nodded to her and walked to the door, stopping and taking a deep breath. Extending olive branches was harder than she thought. "We're having a meal in about half an hour," she said. "Any crew member should be free to join us."

"Won't I upset your friends?"

"Well it'd be a lot easier to spy on us in person. As long as you don't bring your notepad to the table of course."

That got a smile, even if Miranda tried to cover it a second later. "Not tonight Shepard."

"Your choice. See you tomorrow Miranda."

"Shepard."

* * *

><p>"I remember the first time I joined you for a meal," Garrus said as they sat around the table in the semi-dark.<p>

"Ashley accused you of spying on us," Shepard said.

"Indeed she did."

"She came around though."

"They all did." Garrus sounded a little melancholy tonight. "Ashley, Pressly. Just in time for the ship to go down."

"That's not the way to think of it."

"Well what's the answer?"

"If they can change, anyone can."

"You always surprise me with that positive attitude Commander."

"Well I've been dead. And now I'm under the thumb of a group I hate, who had a direct hand in ruining my life, and I've been told I have to somehow stop an entire army of pre-historic galaxy destroying monsters. If I didn't pretend I was happy I'd go insane."

Garrus and Joker both grinned at that. Shepard still couldn't get used to the emptiness of the dining hall. She missed Tali's giggles, or Ashley's barking laugh at something off colour Pressly or Adams had said. She missed Liara at her side for the last six months of their journey.

"I'm sorry I haven't come over before." The British accent caught her off guard and she turned to see Chakwas emerging from the medical bay.

"It's good to see you without the needles and buss-saws," Garrus said congenially as the doctor sat down.

"And it's good to see you actually resting for once. Are you having any problems with your new face plate?"

"Well I discovered it was bulletproof on Purgatory, though it wasn't quite by choice."

"One of these days you'll get shot in the head and I won't be there to patch you back together again."

"If you're not there to patch me together I'm not sure I'd want to come back doctor."

It could have been the old banter. The time honoured traditional ribbing between military medics and their patients, but something about it fell flat. Maybe it was the oppressive sense of being watched, maybe it was the shadow of the mission hanging over them, but they all four sat in silence for some time after that. Eventually Shepard cleared her throat and turned to Chakwas with forced cheer. "I seem to remember you once kept a very lovely bottle of brandy in your desk. I don't suppose you'd be willing to share a glass or two with us lowly soldiers?"

"Well now that you mention it I have sad news to report on that front. Apparently when the old Normandy went down, m very fine brandy went down with it. I should have liked to have opened it before then, but it never seemed the time."

"Well we can't have that," Shepard said. "Next time we put in at port, I'll bring you back a crate of the stuff."

Joker frowned. "I thought we were heading after this krogan warlord?"

"Well I'm in charge of a ship again, and I've got the council behind me and the Illusive Man's full support. Why not use it to put a few things right with the world. Starting with the state of our dear doctor's medicine cabinet."

"You bring back that bottle and I'll drink to that," Garrus said.

"It's settled then. I'll bring the booze, you bring the memories."

* * *

><p>Miranda watched in fascination as the old crew reminisced about the old times. There was something there that had been missing, not just from her own life but from Cerberus this entire time. The sense of fun and rule breaking that had brought her on board all those years ago. Fleeing her father, saving her sister, becoming a fugitive from her father and entering the scary world of espionage. It had all been an adventure, but it had been very much a solo adventure. Even when Jacob joined her as her frequent partner in crime she still did it alone. He was a soldier, not particularly given to emotional displays, even when they made love.<p>

For the briefest of seconds she was tempted to go out and join them, but she knew that that would simply destroy the sensation. They wouldn't be comfortable with her around. She closed the video screen and turned back to her reports.

**File Open: Mission Debrief, Purgatory**

**Operative: Miranda Lawson**

**[File]**

The team we are assembling grows more worrying by the day. The Convict, Subject Zero, is utterly uncontrollable, disdainful and outright aggressive to anyone in a Cerberus uniform, and now has unrestricted access to our databanks.

Or at least so Shepard and Subject Zero think. Naturally several parts of the database are blocked to her behind circular data links and encryptions. But I had to give her enough to convince her that we were abiding by her wishes, which is still far more information than I want her possessing. I shudder to think what she will do when she discovers the Pragia facility.

Shepard continues her habit of talking to the crew, and now some of them have begun to respond. So far it seems only to be strengthening her connection to Cerberus through the human element, but there is always the possibility that she will find some weak link in the operatives here and try to convince them to rebel. I will continue to monitor the situation.

Shepard's mental state continues to concern me. She is displaying marked insomnia, and spends most of her time at her computer reading. When she is not making the effort toalk to the crew she appears isolated and withdrawn, and is beginning to meet many of the markers for depression. Her files indicate that during her time on the SSV Normandy she received counselling from Doctor Chakwas to deal with similar problems. Possibly Chakwas can be convinced to begin these sessions again without alerting Shepard of my involvement. Then again the close relationship between Shepard and Chakwas may make this impossible. [see attached file: Recording B]

Earlier today Shepard came to apologise to me for her antagonistic behaviour over the past weeks. I am not sure whether this is sincere or merely attempting to placate me. She seemed honest in answering my questions regarding trust.

**[Line Deleted]**She asked me whether I trusted her. I have to say that in all honesty I do. Maybe I don't trust her motives in regards to the ship or her intentions towards Cerberus, bu I trust that her character has come through the Lazarus Project unscathed, and that she will do all she can to stop the Reapers and save the human colonies.**[/Line Deleted]**

**[/File]**

**[Attach]**

Recording: Shepard's Quarters, 0000-0530 Osun Standard

Recording: Normandy Mess Hall, 2200-2315 Osun Standard

**[/Attach]**

**Signoff: Miranda Lawson**

**Send File: Transport Node Aeta-pi 1**

**Logoff: Miranda Lawson**

**Purge Databank**

**Shutdown**

_[Transmission Detected]_

_Location: Normandy Mk II, REDACTED, Transport Node Aeta-pi 1, REDACTED_

_Author: Operative Miranda Lawson, REDACTED_

_Contents: REDACTED_

_[Transmission Intercept]_

_[/Transmission Intercept]_

_[Transmission Download]_

_[/Transmission Download]_

_[Open File]_

**AN:-** I basically had all the way up to the end of the talk with Miranda written, and then I just stopped writing. For a whole two years. I am so sorry to anyone who followed this story. I will make every effort to get it up and running again as soon as possible.

The Normandy dinner scenes were my favourite part of the first book, and they are going to happen again.

I vaguely remember that the 'you bitch upwards' scene was supposed to be riffing on something, but I can't for the life of me remember the reference.

Ensign Chalke was mentioned in the first book as having a crush on Kaidan Alenko. I'm actually thinking of bringing her back in some capacity.

The conversation with Miranda was a long time coming. Basically the entire point of the past thirteen chapters is that my Shepard is being petty and spiteful and very childish, and she finally realises it after talking with Rolston and Patel. There are real people in Cerberus fighting for real causes, and the fight against the Reapers is a just one. Just because she doesn't like Miranda doesn't mean she can't at least be professional about it.

Nothing much else to say about this chapter. I'm glad to be back, see you soon.


	16. Chapter 15: Korlus

**AN:-**It's really funny. I've had the dialogue for this typed out all the way to Horizon for two years, but never got around to typing it up.

**Chapter Fifteen: Korlus**

The next morning Shepard got up far too early and marched straight through the CIC. She was early enough that Kelly wasn't even on duty and half of the staff were only just coming up from the quarters. She hit the comm button and Joker's voice came over, bleary and grumpy. "What?"

"Set a course for Korlus. I want the krogan on board the ship before the day's over."

"Aye aye commander."

* * *

><p>Korlus would hardly have been her idea of a holiday destination. The entire planet seemed to be nothing but broken wreckage and dust. She led her team down the only road there seemed to be, weapons out and biotics charged. She was trying to keep Jack and Miranda as far apart as possible, so while Jack scouted out ahead with Jacob Miranda and Garrus stayed back with her as support. Garrus had his sniper rifle out and ready while she kept her hands free to grab whatever she might need. She didn't think she would need her rifle in the close quarters of the planet, but she had been wrong before. She had considered bringing Zaeed along, but something about the mercenary made her feel deeply uncomfortable. Jack might have been a short fuse, but at least she was uncomplicated. She didn't know whether Zaeed would give her cover fire or cover her <em>in<em> fire.

Jacob rounded a corner and immediately ducked back into cover, his shield sparking. Jack cursed and threw herself across the road to come behind some debris. Rounds sparked off the metal, threatening to take off her head. She stuck her pistol over the top and fired blind. Shepard drew her SMG and pointed Miranda to support Jack while Garrus backed up to find some cover for sniping. She hurried to join Jacob, tapping him on the back and motioning that he should go low. He nodded and dropped to one knee. She counted three in her head and he rolled out, lying prone half a foot away from cover. She stepped out, bracing herself for the recoil of the gun.

The SMG bucked against her palm, reminding her how long it had been since she handled one. Most of the rounds went wild, but they forced the mercs to duck behind cover. Jacob sprayed them with fire as well, driving them further back. Jack and Miranda took advantage of the momentary respite to dash back to the cover of the wall. Garrus' rifle cracked twice and two men dropped, their helmets fractured. The third man made a run for it but Jacob nailed him in the side. He tumbled down a ramp on the other side of the hill. Shepard reloaded and marched forwards, the others scrabbling to keep up.

As she had hoped, the man was alive, and although his armour was soaked in blood the wound didn't look mortal. He would need medigel to be sure, but he would live.

He was cursing up a storm as she walked over to him. He made a motion to draw his pistol but she just cocked her head at him and tapped the SMG on her belt. He nodded, his posture changing to total defeat, and tossed the unopened gun away.

"I knew it wasn't berserkers," he moaned. "Not at that range." She felt Miranda appear at her shoulder and looked back to see Jacob and Jack scouting ahead. "You're mercs, or Alliance. I'm not telling you anything."

She shrugged and held up her hand to show him the medigel resting there. "I've got a nice application of medigel ready to go. But if you'd rather I just keep walkin'…"

"Son of a!" He collapsed back against the wall. Drama queen. "I just… I don't know anything, I just shoot the overflow from the labs." _Overflow? Labs? _This was getting more interesting by the second. And by interesting she meant worrying. "The old krogan up there, he's really been cleaning house lately. Jedore hired him to make her an army, but the krogan he creates are insane. We use them for live ammo training." She frowned at that. Insane or not, vat grown or not, they were sing living beings for target practice. "It's all crap, I don't get paid enough to bleed out."

She was sorely tempted to leave him, or maybe even to show him what a real wound looked like, but instead she spread the medigel over his armour, making no effort to be gentle. "If you're lucky you might be able to crawl to a safe spot before you die," she said.

He looked at her pleadingly, but there was no mercy in her newly bionic eyes. Cursing again, he limped away.

"The scare was a nice touch," Miranda said.

"I thought so."

"Uh, guys?" Jack's voice was on the radio. "You might wanna get up here."

Jacob and Jack were pinned down by more Blue Suns. The mercs were up on the walkways and gantries above them. It was a bad position, the sort of firing range a marine tried to make sure they never walked into. Shepard switched to her pistol and put a round right between the gaps in a mercenary's armour, punching a hole clean through them. Her target was Jack, hunkered down behind what looked like a sheared off shuttle wing. Shepard rushed over, rounds slamming against her shields and threatening to send her sprawling. She slid next to Jack and rolled onto her back, firing straight up and through the walkway above them.

The powerful Carnifax rounds tore straight through the cheap metal and carried on straight through the mercenary on the other side. He reeled forwards and came plummeting over the railing, barely missing Shepard and Jack when he hit the floor. The biotic flashed her a psychotic grin and put a final round through his helmet before turning to find another target. Shepard took her place hiding under the shuttle wing while she surveyed the situation. Her team was doing a good job of taking down the mercenaries, but there were a lot of them. She grabbed the shuttle wing she was using for cover and lifted it over her head.

It was a short run to where Garrus was kneeling by a piece of wreckage from a building. She brought the wing over his head and he understood immediately, helping her to carry it over to Miranda, who was in trouble, pinned into a corner by two mercenaries. Once they hit the corner Shepard leaned out and popped one of the mercenaries clean through the face-plate. Jacob jogged under cover as well, and a second later Jack slid under the wing as well. With the cover now protecting them from every angle they made short work of the remaining enemies. Once the last one had hit the dirt they moved through to the next open area.

It felt almost like the entire complex had been set up as a shooting gallery. The mercs were all on the levels above them while Shepard and her team had to stay hunkered down, shooting at anything they could see. If it was meant for training Shepard couldn't see what it taught apart from how to shoot fish in a barrel. She didn't much like feeling like a fish. Two more open areas and they came across a krogan in full body armour being fired on by two mercenaries. She took both of the mercenaries with a single shot and lowered the gun, trusting the krogan to realise she had been helping him.

He stomped over, and she almost raised her gun again, but she managed to restrain herself until he was right in front of her. He moved his head up and down her whole body, and she could have sworn he was sniffing her, except that the helmet would surely have blocked all his senses.

"You are different," he rumbled. His voice was not what she had expected, almost too refined to be krogan. He didn't sound like Wrex, or any of the krogan she had ever fought. He sounded almost… young. "You don't smell like this world. Seven nights cycles and I have felt only the need to kill, but you. Something makes me speak."

"He's only a week old?" Miranda asked.

"They must breed them full size," Shepard said. "Ready to kill."

Garrus snorted. "Not much improvement over regular mercs if they still need training."

"Bred to kill?" The krogan had its head cocked over to one side. She recognised the expression as one Wrex had used to make when he was uncertain about something. "No. I kill because my blood and bone tell me to, but it is not why I was flushed from glass mother. Survival is what I hear in my head. Against the enemy that threatens all my kind, but I failed. Even before waking. That is what the voice in the water said, that is why I wait here."

She didn't have the greatest sense of krogan moods, but she felt something strange for this one. He should have sounded defeated, but instead he sounded contented. He had come to fight and die, and he was okay with that. She held up her hand to stem any more questions from her squad. "Can you show me where Okeer is? I need to speak with him."

The krogan nodded and walked over to a patch of wall that looked no different from the rest, but then he put his hands beneath it and hefted it to one side, revealing a tunnel beyond. "You will stay here?" She asked him.

He nodded, unslinging his rifle and going to stand in the exact position they had found him in.

"Why not bring him with us?" Jacob asked as they descended into the tunnel. "A krogan could be useful in a fight."

"He won't come," Shepard said with certainty. "He's here to die. It's all he knows."

"Why would Okeer breed them only to kill them?" Miranda said. "It doesn't make any sense."

"Maybe these aren't the krogan he's interested in," Shepard said. "The mercenary mentioned overflow from the labs. Overflow of what? Okeer must be trying to create something."

"A new type of krogan?" Garrus shook his head. "That's not a pleasant thought."

Before Shepard could say anything else a bullet smacked against her shields and sent her diving for cover again. She drew her SMG and looked for the telltale blue of the mercs armour, but instead saw a full size krogan bearing down on her. "Oh," she managed to say before it slammed into her and knocked her to the ground. She fought for air and raised her SMG, the rounds punching holes in the thing's armour. A sniper rifle boomed and it pitched forwards, narrowly missing her as it plunged over the edge of the walkway and fell into darkness. There were another three krogan ahead of them, all armed with shotguns and rifles. Shepard drew her sniper rifle and focused on the closest enemy, trusting that the heavy rounds would make short work of the armour and the krogan beneath.

She wasn't disappointed, and the round turned the krogan's jaw into paste as it blasted through. A normal krogan might even have been able to survive that, but this one simply keeled over. She racked the action and found the next one in her scope. The rest of the squad was putting down the second krogan, and as she fired on the last one Garrus shot it as well, and the two rounds combined blew a large quantity of krogan brains all over the floor. There was a voice on the intercom bleating about the krogan being released, but Shepard ignored it. It would make the Blue Sun's job more difficult, and that was what she really cared about.

They pressed on, little time for talk or tactics.

They came out to a bridge, mercenaries on the other side, and were once more sent diving for cover as rockets whizzed over their heads. Clearly the krogans being loose had prompted an upgrade in the weapons. Shepard lay nearly prone and went over her options. She risked a look and was nearly decapitated by a missile, but she had seen what she needed.

"Jack, Miranda, Jacob," she shouted. "Two bolts on either side of the bridge. Break 'em loose."

The biotics went straight to it, pulling at the heavy bolts that supported the bridge. The mercenaries wobbled, then attempted to run, but before they could get off the bridge collapsed and they were left hundreds of feet over the planet with no support.

Shepard didn't even stop to watch, sprinting to the next bridge. This one they would need to cross, and about ten Blue Suns were there to stop them. She cursed and drew her SMG again. "Blanket them," she shouted, and every member of the team switched to automatic weapons. It wasn't pretty, but there were more than heat sinks lying around all over the place. They hunkered behind the cover on the far side of the bridge, then at Shepard's cue stood and opened fire as one.

It was one of the oldest tricks in the Alliance's history. Overlapping shields provided a heavier cover for those behind them, even compensating when one or two shields went down. Combining that with a barrage of fire that turned the air in front of them blue with the after-images of the eezo rounds and the mercenaries never stood a chance. They retreated into a room on the other side of the bridge, giving Shepard's team enough time to get to cover halfway across the bridge and reload. Shepard counted to two and stood again, vaulting the cover and opening up.

They ran this time, fighting to keep their weapons level. The Blue Suns were almost all dead, but one last batarian made a valiant effort to shoot the fuel tank in the next room. Jacob reached him first, tackling him to the floor and keeping him pinned there while Jack unloaded an entire assault rifle clip into the batarian's head.

"Hey," Jacob yelled when she had finished. "I was right there. you could have taken my head off you psycho."

"You had your shields," she snapped. "Afraid of a little bullet wound?"

"Enough," Shepard snarled, and they both turned to glare at her. Jacob at least snapped to parade attention, but Jack looked murderous. "There's no point fighting each other when there's an army of mercenaries and krogan between us and the warlord." She reloaded her SMG and pocketed spare heat sinks. "Plenty of people who need killing, none of them in this room."

She shouldered past them and opened the door to reveal more bridges. There were two levels now, one higher and one lower, and not a safety railing in sight. Plenty of debris for cover though. "We're about to be ambushed aren't we?" She said to Garrus.

"So pessimistic commander."

A round smashed into the wall by his head, then another. "It's not pessimism if I'm always right."

They dived for cover. "You go high, take Jacob and Jack, I'll take Miranda low."

"See you on the other side."

They broke, Miranda following her at a hand signal and clearing a path with her SMG. Shepard took her sniper rifle and aimed right to the other end of the bridge, where four mercs were running towards them. She fired, her hand already going to the action as the rifle came back. The heat sink nearly hit her in the face as it ejected, but she ignored it, keeping her eyes focused downrange on her next target, firing the second the rifle was level. The second merc went down in a shower of blood and brain matter. Miranda glowed blue and shoved another one right off the platform with a biotic push. The last one decided cover was the more sensible option and threw himself behind a crate.

Shepard and Miranda moved down the bridge, dashing from cover to cover and firing a few SMG rounds to keep the merc down. Shepard looked up to the raised bridge and saw that the team there were being swarmed by nearly a dozen mercenaries. She switched to her sniper rifle and aimed for a loose section of metal that was positioned right above three of the mercs in cover. A single shot brought it crashing down on top of them, killing one instantly and sending the other two limping out into the line of fire. The final enemy on their level was up and shooting again, so she grabbed her SMG left handed and let loose a volley. It looked like while she had been dealing with the mercs on the upper level Miranda had been getting into a better position, and when the merc dived for cover she was in perfect position to put a pistol shot right between his eyes.

They had finally reached the end of the bridge, but around the corner there were more rocket troops to deal with. Shepard was getting bored of the fighting now though, and if these mercenaries were stupid enough to think that they would be the ones to kill her, after everything else that they had already fought through, she would just have to prove them wrong. She pulled her pistol into her right hand, reloaded the SMG in her left, and ran to a tiny piece of cover less than ten feet away from where they were firing. She waited until the firing abated and stood up, letting loose with both guns along the entire upper level.

Clearly thinking they had her pinned, the mercenaries hadn't even ducked back behind cover. There were three of them, who all fell beneath the combined assault of the Carnifax and Shuriken punching through their shields and bodies in no time. The rest of them team caught up just as her heat sinks popped empty.

"Nice shooting," Miranda said blandly. "Now can we crack on?"

**AN:-** I may or may not have plans for Zaeed, it kind of depends. I also kind of forgot to put Kasumi in here at all and by the time I realised I'd written almost the whole chapter. Next time I'll put her front and centre to make up for it. It's kinda hard to write big teams all on a mission at once. I'm also not really a fan of Jacob so I never know what to do with him. He's kind of bland for me. The reason Mordin isn't here is simple. He's supposed to be back on the ship helping to find some way to fox the Collector's deadly bee weapons (my god). Until Horizon at least he won't be coming on missions because it would distract him from his very important work.

Was I the only one who would have preferred to take the krogan you meet in the field instead of Grunt? He was better spoken, had a more interesting backstory of believing himself to be a failure, and had a real sense of calm and serenity about him. I honestly thought he was Grunt the first time I met him.

Nothing much else to say. Krolus is kind of a boring world. Nothing but shooting and fighting.


	17. Chapter 16: The Warlord

**AN:- **Nice long chapter to round out my return.

**Chapter Sixteen: The Warlord**

Stairs.

There were always more stairs. Her life seemed to be an endless succession of chest high walls and stairs. Where were the days of running up and down the outside of the Citadel or dropping the mako a hundred feet off a cliff to destroy one Geth Armature? She knew she was complaining, but it was hard not to.

There was a door up the stairs, and inside an asari crouched by a desk, begging her not to shoot. Something about the asari's voice and face were familiar, so she motioned her team to stand down.

"Are you sure Shepard?" Jacob asked, his assault rifle wavering.

"I'm not a threat," the asari said. "I shut down the security cams as soon as I saw it was you. Never thought I'd say it but I'm glad it's you shooting up the place." She shook her head a little. "Sorry, Rana Thanoptis, you let me go when you destroyed Saren's lab on Virmire? Had to outrun a nuke in a utility pod but it's still a second chance."

That sparked the memory. A terrified asari letting them into Saren's private chambers. "I assume you have a good reason for being at this lab?"

"Don't worry I'm not wasting the chance you gave me. My work here... Strictly beneficial." Shepard gave a hard look to the charred remains of a krogan lying on a nearby gurney, then looked back to the asari. Her meaning was plain enough. "Not for the mercs, Jedore's on a standard power trip, but Okeer is trying to do something good, even if his methods are a little extreme. Everyone deserves a second chance, right? And sometimes giving one pays off; I take care of my debts."

It was tempting to arrest her right then, or shoot her. But then again was their situation so different? Working with whoever offered the money despite their methods? Shepard was a lot of things, but she prided herself on not being a hypocrite. "Finding you in a place like this makes me think letting you go was a mistake, you don't want that."

"We agree on that. Don't worry; I plan on staying as far away from anything to do with you as possible. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to run like hell, before you blow the place or something, I know how you work."

She strolled out, calm as could be, and started down the stairs. As Garrus watched her go he couldn't help commenting. "I'm all for second chances, not so sure on third ones."

"It's easy to get caught up in something and not look too closely at the details Garrus." They made for the other door. "Maybe Okeer really is doing good."

"Do I sense a crack in that anti-Cerberus demeanour Commander?" Miranda said as the door cycled open.

"Low blow Ms Lawson, low blow."

The door opened to reveal a long rectangular room with one wall taken up by a huge window. To the right of the window, close to the door, was a metal tank with what looked like a young adult krogan inside. A much older krogan was hunched over a computer next to the tank, typing furiously.

"Here you are," his voice was not what Shepard would have expected. He sounded almost refined. "I've watched your progress. It's about time. The batteries on these tanks will not wait while you play with these idiotic mercs.."

"I take it you're Okeer," she said. "You don't seem particularly caged... or grateful that I'm here."

"You may claim to be here to help, but the formerly deceased Shepard is not a sign of gentle change," she tried to hide her shock that he knew her name, but he must have seen through it, as he grinned. "Surprised? All krogan should know you, I'm sure Rana has already revisited your actions on Virmire."

"I'm sure you're eager to retell the story?"

"Such a tale! Saren, the SPECTRE traitor, threatens the return of the krogan hoard by curing the genophage, undoing the gentle genocide of the turians and salarians." She suddenly had a sense of what it must be like to be a young krogan, sitting listening to an elder recount his most famous battles. "But, before Saren can deliver his endless troops, in rides Shepard, securing victory through nuclear fire." Okeer nodded happily. "I like that part. It has weight."

"I didn't have a lot of room for finesse," she said carefully. "If there had been any other solution I'd have considered it."

"But I approve. Saren's pale horde were not true krogan. Numbers alone are nothing, the mistake of an outsider, one that these mercenaries have also made. I gave their leader my rejects for her army, but she grows impatient, it's time for you to take me out of here."

Miranda was at her side, sounding annoyed as usual. "We're here about the Collectors. We couldn't care less about your problems."

"I see. Yes the collector attacks have increased, a human concern. My requests were focused elsewhere. I acquired the knowledge to create one pure soldier, with that I will inflict upon the genophage the greatest insult an enemy can suffer, to be ignored."

Shepard was growing increasingly concerned with the nature of the people the Illusive Man wanted her to surround herself with. "Your methods are extreme," _understatement. Again._ "But you know how to deconstruct a threat, will you come with us?"

"Perhaps I can secure passage." He pointed to the tank. "But my prototype is not negotiable, it is the key to my legacy."

From below they heard a woman issuing orders. Shepard caught some of them, something about flushing the tanks. It didn't sound good. Eke obviously knew what was going on, stamping to the window and growling.

"She's that weak willed, she'll kill my legacy with a damn valve." He turned back to the team. "Shepard, you want information on the Collectors. Stop her. She'll try to access contaminants in the storage bay."

Shepard nodded to her team. "Let's go."

Jedore was ranting all the way down the stairs, then as they burst out to find the area below littered with krogan birthing tanks. A YMIR mech was waking up in the centre of the room as well, and at least four of the pods were cracking open. Jedore herself was holed up behind some shipping crates with shields up and a missile launcher in hand. "Jack?"

"What?"

"Care to handle that one?"

Jack grinned a psychotic smirk and flared blue. "With pleasure."

"Garrus, Jacob, take down the mech. Miranda, you and me are on krogan watch."

"You and I," Miranda said as they sprinting to cover, one of Jedore's missiles flying over their heads.

"What?"

"The correct grammar." Shepard looked over in astonishment to see that Miranda was grinning. "It's you and I."

Shepard found she was smiling as well, though it felt slightly manic. "We need to work on your combat banter." She propped her rifle on one of the stasis pods and found a krogan in the sights. The rifle bucked and thudded against her shoulder, and as she ducked behind cover again Miranda leapt up and sprayed the krogan with SMG fire. There were still three more krogan charging their position, and the YMIR wasn't something to be ignoring. Thankfully Jack seemed to have reached Jedore now, and from what Shepard could see was butting her in the head with her own gun.

"Well I thought you might appreciate the effort," Miranda launched a biotic pulse at a krogan trying to climb up above them. "The files said you and your old crew enjoyed some banter on missions."

Shepard drew her pistol left handed and shot the krogan through the belly. "How about you stick to spying, I'll stick to quipping."

"Understood Shepard."

Another krogan came round the corner, shocking her. Shepard dropped to her back, the rifle held flat out above her body. It roared and the krogan reeled back as the bullet punched clean through him. He wasn't out though, and with a bellow he brought his shotgun round. Before Shepard could dodge Miranda appeared, sticking her SMG inside the wound and pulling the trigger. Orange blood poured out over Miranda's pristine white uniform as she angled the gun up and down to do maximum damage. The krogan's bellow turned into a sputter, then a whimper as he fell back, his insides shredded.

"Nice one," Shepard said, getting to her feet and sweeping the battlefield. One krogan left, behind cover and taking potshots at Garrus. The YMIR was clearly on its last legs, and Jedore seemed to be a red smear that Jack was walking away from. She lined up her sniper rifle and blasted the krogan in the knee. It feel down, head poking out in perfect position for Miranda to unload half a clip into his eye.

"Looks like we're done here." Shepard pushed to her feet, noting with pleasure that no one had taken any injuries at all. Fighting against four krogan, let alone the mech and the missile happy mercenary should have done some damage, but here they all were. "Okeer?

It was EDI's voice that answered her. "The toxicity levels in the lab are at critical levels Shepard. Life sign readings are nil."

She was already sprinting for the stairs. At the top she slammed the door open and raced to the lifeless body of the old krogan. It was clear he was gone. She slammed her fist into the floor in frustration and stood, glaring at the tank. "Clearly this thing was important enough to him to die for," she said.

"Why would someone so fanatical sacrifice him for one krogan?" Garrus asked.

Miranda looked a little more apprehensive. "There's no telling what Okeer jammed into this thing's head, releasing it may not be wise."

Her logical thinking was rapidly overcoming her outburst of emotion. She noted with surprise that when she had punched the floor she had left a dent."Pure krogan could pack a hell of a punch; we can always use another heavy hitter."

"If he'll help," Jacob had joined them at the tank. "I doubt anyone's asked for his opinion."

"Fuck him," Jack offered from the other side of the room. "No one asked mine either."

That put an end to the conversation. Shepard opened the comm line. "Normandy, Okeer is a no go, but we have a package that needs retrieval, and he's a big one."

* * *

><p>She walked into the message centre to find Jacob and Miranda having an argument.<p>

"Bringing the krogan for study makes sense, but I have concerns about waking him."

"Yeah, you said that few times now."

Neither of them seemed to have noticed her. She stayed by the door and listened.

"A normal krogan is dangerous. This one was created and likely educated by a madman."

She cleared her throat and waited until they were both focused on her. Jacob as usual was in parade attention while Miranda leaned against the table. It was remarkable how she managed to make such a small motion look sensual. "There's no way he's getting out unless one of us lets him out," Shepard said quietly.

Miranda wasn't convinced. "Or unless Okeer installed some sort of a failsafe, or a malfunction causes the tank to shut down."

"I'm not saying we take a crowbar to it right now," she pushed off from the door frame and walked to the head of the table. "But I'm not giving up a potential resource."

Miranda nodded. "It's your decision Commander, just be careful."

"Noted."

Jacob and Miranda left her there, staring at the holographic display of the Normandy and wondering what exactly she had let down into the cargo hold.

Time for walking.

She went to Garrus first.

"You have a knack for picking up eccentrics Commander. Always did."

"I'm a little more concerned about the psychotics this time around Garrus. I don't recall having any on the last trip."

"Fair point commander. How about some of the old crew? Surely we're not so scattered?"

She went to sit by one of the gunnery stations. "Ash is with the Alliance, some sort of black ops thing. I doubt she'll give up the life for Cerberus." Garrus went to the other side of the hold and watched her carefully. "Tali is on some sort of mission with the quarians, but she said some things, gave me a little hope at least. Wrex is on Tuchanka of course." The last one was always the hardest to admit, even to herself. "Liara is working for the Shadow Broker." Garrus shifted, but didn't say anything. "I don't even know if I can trust her anymore. I want to think that I can, but I come back and it's all wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"This life, the whole damn galaxy. I leave and we're all a crew, I come back and they tell me Pressly's dead, Adams is gone, my crew is scattered across the four corners and I'm working for Cerberus. I haven't even had a chance to sit and think this out in two weeks now. Liara's gone, Ashley's buried in the Alliance as deep as can be, and you," she was suddenly aware that she was standing. "You had a few problems with rules Garrus, but a vigilante group? On Omega? And not only that but you lost them somehow, and you still won't tell me a thing."

His expression had closed, and she looked away, biting her lip. "I'm sorry, that was out of line."

"I think you've earned the right to, ah, 'bitch,' to me Commander."

She smiled wearily. "Don't you remember what it used to be? I'd come up and you'd be calibrating the mako and we'd just talk about your time in C-Sec or when you were nearly a SPECTRE?"

"I remember Commander. I also remember broken bones, long patrols and more than a few near death experiences." He stood and walked to the console, clearly wanting the conversation to end. "You shouldn't glamorise the past Commander. Only remember it."

She watched him carefully. The tension was in every line of his body now. He was thinking about his team again, she just knew it. "When you want to talk you know where to find me."

"Who says I'll want to talk?"

She smiled her most infuriating smile as she left. "I'm Commander Shepard. Sooner or later everyone talks to me."

* * *

><p>And, speaking of psychos…<p>

"Jack?"

"Shepard."

She was half hidden under dim red lights. Shepard suspected she might have broken a few bulbs, either that or tampered with the lighting controls.

"I wanted to congratulate you on your performance during the last mission."

"That what you do huh? Congratulate the dancing monkeys on their show?" Hard eyes met hers evenly. "Fuck that. I don't need it."

"You've got a lot of anger. You could put it to much better use." It was a speech she had been given once. After Mindoir. It had convinced her into the command training.

"Fuck you. You don't know me, and I don't wanna know you. Just leave me with the files and when I'm done I'll be outta here."

"Have you found what you need?"

"A lot of dirty secrets, but nothing I need."

There was a dark silence in the bay, one Shepard didn't think she would get through any time soon. "I'll leave you to it," she said, somewhat lamely, turning to leave.

"Shepard?"

"Yes Jack?"

"You ever try and give me an order again and I'll kill you." She said it with certainty. A certainty Shepard didn't like the sound of. "Maybe it won't be right then, maybe it won't even be until we're done with the Collectors. Maybe it'll be face to face or maybe it'll be when you're sleeping. But I will kill you."

She turned around. It was clearly meant as a dismissal.

The Shepard of the past might have accepted it. The Shepard of the past would have walked away and tried again the next day. The Shepard of the present was sick and tired of having a bunch of borderline psychotics on her ship though.

She stepped over to where Jack was about to sit down, grabbing her shoulder and tripping her backwards hard enough that her head slammed on the bulkheads. Before Jack could do anything Shepard kicked her hard in the side and placed her boot on the biotic's neck, drawing her pistol and aiming it at Jack's head. "Listen to me. You may think you're something special, and you've got more biotic power than I've seen in any human yet, but let me explain something about power. You think you have it because you have strength. But strength is not power. Strength is just strength. And if you don't have the intelligence to know where to apply it then all you are is a thug. Do you think you're in this situation because I'm stronger than you?"

Jack struggled for breath, but Shepard ignored that. She wasn't anywhere near unconsciousness yet. "I'm in this position because I knew how to apply my strength, to your knee and your hip and your neck. Now do you think you're on this ship because anyone of these people is stronger than you? You're on this ship because Cerberus knows how to apply pressure to you and trap you." She removed her boot, but kept her pistol trained on Jack. The biotic rolled onto her font and pushed up on her hands and knees, breathing heavily and seething. "You could try and kill me now. And it'd be a fair fight. I haven't fought many tougher than you. Maybe you'd win, maybe I'd win and have to kill you. You could leave it, and try and kill me later in my sleep. But then you'd have to get off the ship with everything and everyone trying to kill you. EDI would sense you, Miranda I'm sure is recording my room, and if Garrus knew someone had tried to harm me he wouldn't rest until that person was wiped from the face of the galaxy.

"Heck, maybe you could even kill all of them. Say you do. Everyone on the ship dead, and you either in a shuttle or in command of the Normandy. Now you've got to fight off the entire Cerberus organisation, plus any of my old Alliance buddies, plus anyone in the galaxy who feels they owe me." She closed the pistol. "Now that's power. Have you got the strength to fight all of them Jack? I don't like your odds." She leaned back, trying to look totally at ease. "So let's consider. You follow my orders now. You listen to me on missions, you follow me into the Omega 4 relay and if we come back you can go your own way with no hard feelings."

Jack sat, facing away from her, her shoulders still set and her breathing heavy. Shepard stood. "You may be feared by pirates and police and mercenaries. And you thought that was respect of your strength. But I'm not scared of you. And without fear you've got nothing. If you want me to respect you, if you want me to believe you ever even have a chance to kill me, you have to show me that you understand how to use all that strength."

She was about to leave, but she couldn't resist one final parting shot. "Oh and Jack?" She looked back and smiled her most dead-eyed smile. "I don't sleep. Not since I died."

She walked back up to engineering and out to the elevator, collapsing against the wall and breathing hard.

"That may not have been wise Shepard." EDI's voice startled her.

"Well I never was one for clever decisions."

"Jack should not be taken lightly as a foe. She is strong enough to kill everyone."

"You heard that speech about strength then?"

"I did. And in the simulations I have made she is potentially strong enough and smart enough to overpower everyone on this ship, including yourself and Mr Vakarian."

"I know."

"Then why tell her she is not?"

"You might understand combat simulations and basic human psychology," Shepard said. "But you've got a lot to learn about the psychology of command."

There was a brief pause. "Understood Shepard. Have a good night."

"You too EDI."

**AN:- **Mass Effect 2: Chest High Walls Edition. I'm sorry, but those were a bit laughable.

I quite liked the Miranda banter in this one. It's like the not-funny sort of funny that I imagine Miranda does a lot. Also, it's kinda like my sense of humour so there's that...

I think it's really telling that when you're recruiting some of the companions (Okeer/Zaeed) or actually accepting in the first place they didn't even include a Paragon option. I don't really have a problem with railroading in RPGs, they do have a story to tell after all, but when the writers can't come up with any sufficient justification for why a Paragon might even consider a possibility it shows somewhat of a failure on the story's part. Obviously I am writing a pure as the driven snow Paragon here, which means it's really hard to justify why she would even consider taking Okeer on board. Every word out of his mouth should be an insult to her most basic instincts, but I don't have any other option than to accept. My Shepard would, if I was allowed, have shot Zaeed on the spot, and would never have considered bringing him on board her ship.

Ah well. I'm just writing the novelisation, not an AU.

I'm not a big fan of the Korlus mission in general actually, and it probably shows in the last couple of chapters. It'll all pick up once Tali's on board, believe me.

That bit with Garrus at the end: Shepard is feeling really beaten about, mental, emotionally and physically. Some of what I just said about railroading is actually part of the characterisation I'm going for. This still feels to Shepard like the Illusive Man's mission. His crew, his choices. She's just being shunted into picking up people she doesn't want and doing things she thinks are morally questionable just so that she can maybe have a positive outcome somewhere in a distant future that to her is looking increasingly bleak. She's falling apart, and she's doing it mostly alone because she can't even trust that her private quarters won't be bugged and recorded (which of course they are, told you it all fitted together) And yes, this is going to have a big impact on some stuff in the future of the story.

That bit with Jack at the end: Jack always struck me as having strong dichotomies. On the one hand she is a strong willed person with immense power who has always been able to do pretty much what she wanted. On the other hand she's a self-destructive ball of self-loathing with strong death seeking tendencies. My Shepard is a pretty fragile emotional state herself, and it clashes badly with Jack. Jack is a character who I hate the canon portrayal of, but love the potential under the surface that wasn't really explored. I really want to explore it in this story. So please be patient with me. I don't always get the ideas down right the first time, but I get them out eventually.


	18. Chapter 17: Calm Before the Storm

**AN:-** Short chapter before Horizon.

**Chapter Seventeen: Calm Before the Storm**

She went to see Miranda next. As she expected, the operative was tapping away at her computer screen, and looked surprised to see her there. "Commander? How can I help you?"

"I wanted to discuss the krogan problem."

"Ah, yes. I'm surprised that you're seeking my advice."

"It's not so much seeking your advice as finding somewhere else to place the blame when it all goes horribly wrong."

"Ah, the voice of command there."

Shepard sat. "What's your opinion on the krogan?"

"I think it was a mistake to bring it on board, let alone keep it in stasis. If you were going to have it dissected by the salarian for scientific study then I might be able to understand it, but as a teammate?"

"I understand. It's not on the dossiers, it's not been checked. We have no idea what we're waking up there in terms of personality and instinct."

"I'm glad you see reason."

"Well here's the real voice of command. There's another side. We've got a purebred krogan, specifically designed to be the greatest warrior in the species, possibly in the galaxy. It's been trained by someone who was willing to work with Cerberus, and we need heavy hitters."

"We have heavy hitters."

"We're got Jack, and even she's a bit of a glass cannon. Let's look at this logically. Garrus and I are snipers. Sure we can get into the thick of it if we need to, but so far we've been up against nothing heavier than krogans and every time they've knocked us pretty bad. You're a strong biotic, but if a Collector gets in close, or it gets lucky, then one solid hit could put you down," Miranda nodded at that, if a little grudgingly. "Jacob's solid, sure, but he's got nothing on a krogan. Zaeed's tougher, but he's still human. Kasumi and Mordin? Not even an option. The only one who maybe comes close is Jack, but she moves fast and strikes hard. If it came to holding a line or shielding another team member she'd be cut in half."

"I see the reasoning."

"Look, I worked with a krogan last time. Wrex could absorb bullets like a sponge and keep on swinging when we needed it. He was harder than nails and strong enough to punch through concrete barehanded."

"I'm well aware of the krogan's record."

"So I know how krogan think. Maybe I can reason with this one. And then we gain a perfect fighting machine."

"I still think it's risky Shepard, but I suppose if we've got no other choice…"

"Commander? You in there?"

"Joker?" Shepard looked up to try and find the speaker. "What's up?"

"Message from the Illusive Man. EDI says it's urgent."

"Put him through to Miranda's terminal."

"Shepard!" Miranda sounded genuinely offended.

"What? You'd only listen in anyway."

"Shepard," just his voice made her shiver involuntarily. She also didn't like the way Miranda straightened and sat prim and proper. She looked like a schoolgirl about to be told off. "I think we have them. Horizon, one of our colonies in the Terminus Systems, just went silent. If it isn't another attack it soon will be." A small graphic of Horizon appeared on Miranda's screen. It looked like a nice planet. Scarily like Eden Prime though. "Has Mordin delivered the countermeasures for the seeker swarms?"

"Not yet." She was receiving hourly reports to her omni-tool from the scientist, but he had been slaving for nearly four days with no progress at all.

"Let's hope he works well under pressure, there's something else you should know," he paused, and she could almost hear him smoking that bloody cigarette. Keeping her in suspense every chance he got. "One of your former crew, Ashley Williams. She's stationed on Horizon."

Shepard managed to keep the surprise off her face, well aware that Miranda was staring at her, searching for any sign of weakness. "Send the coordinates, we'll head straight there."

As the Illusive Man signed off Miranda was already standing. "I suppose the krogan waits for another day."

"Looks like."

"And what are we going to do if he wakes up while we're on Horizon?"

Shepard thought about it, then looked to the computer terminal by the door. "EDI, how quickly can the cargo hold be vented to space if there's an issue?"

"Twenty-eight seconds Shepard."

"And if anyone else is in the hold at the time?" Miranda didn't sound impressed.

Shepard couldn't resist. "How many other essential crew are onboard the Normandy?"

"Twenty-four permanent crew Shepard."

"You can't be…" Miranda stuck her jaw forwards in a truly impressive pout when Shepard turned back grinning. "Har har. But what _are_ you going to do?"

"Joker?"

"Yes Commander?"

"I take you were listening in?"

"Not at all."

"Good. Is our course set for Horizon?"

"Yes ma'am, ten hours and counting."

She ignored Miranda huffing in the background and turned back to the glowing blue ball. "EDI, what's the safest and most remote location on the ship that can still be vented to space without causing other loss of life if the occasion arises?"

"The emergency escape pods are rated against atmospheric entry when sealed, and can be blown safely clear without any other casualties."

"Can the krogan's pod fit into one of the escape pods and remain functional?"

"If lain on its side and packed tightly, yes."

"Have some of the midshipmen transport it to an escape pod and seal those doors."

"Understood Shepard."

"Miranda," Shepard turned back. "Ten hours out. I'd get some sleep, or do whatever it is you do before a mission."

"I think I will get some rest," Miranda said, already powering down the computer. "And Shepard?" It looked like it was a struggle to even get the words out. "Maybe you could do the same?"

"Well now, is this actual concern for my wellbeing Miranda?"

"Concern for the safety of the mission Commander. And all my hard work."

Shepard's smile felt a little too tight all of a sudden. "It's a little hard to sleep when I can see the light from your cameras."

Miranda opened her mouth to say something, reconsidered, then made a big deal out of shuffling her papers. "I suppose when I was looking earlier there might have been a sensor malfunction. Maintenance would take approximately nine hours."

Not wanting to spoil the moment, Shepard only nodded and left.

* * *

><p>She wanted to go straight to her room. She wanted to collapse. She wanted the bone deep weariness to leave her alone, even if it was only for a few hours.<p>

Instead she went to Mordin's lab, waving off Ms Chambers when she tried to tell her something.

"Tell me you have something."

Mordin didn't seem to mind that she had barged right in and asked him straight out with even a hello. Instead he gave her the biggest grin she had ever seen a salarian grin and turned to his desk.

"Yes."

If she was honest the explanation meant nothing to her. Mordin seemed to have entered a whole new realm of science, and she was fairly certain at one point he said he had discovered a whole new dimension simply to give them the power they needed. The rest was an incomprehensible jumble of 'neuroelectric fields' and 'biometric data readings.'

"Mordin, just tell me if it'll work."

He stopped mid-ramble, and she almost felt bad about cutting him off. "It will confuse the seekers swarms, mask our presence, possibly make us invisible. Should help to avoid detection by small swarms."

"There's a lot of shoulds and possiblies there Mordin."

"Indeed, only working prototype. Look forward to field test. Hope all humans come back alive."

"You're not worried about getting snatched?"

"So far Collectors only gathering human samples. Hypothesise salarian physiology already invisible to them."

"And if it's not?"

He paused for half a second. "Had not considered. I will continue research; make sure prototype is as functional as possible."

"You do that," Shepard turned to leave. "Ten hours to drop, and we're not going to be a minute over."

He didn't respond, already buried in his work again.

* * *

><p>Her next trip was even more unpleasant.<p>

"Shepard! I feel like I've hardly seen you."

"If I'm honest I've been avoiding you doctor."

"Yes. Worried about your state of mind?"

"Careful doc, the walls have ears."

"Oh please. Like I don't know how to keep my operating theatre entirely free of all contaminants."

Shepard looked over to the EDI terminal, and was surprised to see a blinking out of service light.

"Apparently the eyeball is having a little electronic trouble right now." Chakwas leaned back with a smug grin on her face. "Patient confidentiality still applies to me Shepard, no matter how much the Illusive Man would like to pretend it doesn't. Now how can I help you today?"

"I need to sleep."

"And how long has the insomnia been going on this time?"

"Since I came back. I've barely slept in a month."

"Understandable, after the trauma you've been through. Although the new implants make it harder to detect. They enable you to push on through the sleeplessness."

"That doesn't mean it feels good."

"Of course not," Chakwas' voice turned motherly as she reached into her drawer and pulled out a bottle. "Take one, with water. And make sure you're close to the bed, this thing's faster acting than a hypospray."

Shepard accepted the bottle with a grimace. She had hated sleeping pills, ever since they had all but force fed her them after Mindoir. "Thanks, I guess."

"In nine hours you'll feel like a whole new woman, I guarantee it."

"I basically am already," Shepard grumbled as she left.

* * *

><p>Up in her room she bolted the door and poured herself a glass of water. She always slept before a mission, at least eight hours. But she hadn't been able to ever since she came back. Instead she had staring matches with her alarm clock. Now she got changed, self-conscious as ever, and sat on the edge of the bed in her pyjamas. These had actually been a gift from Liara, and she had no idea how they had survived the destruction of the Normandy.<p>

She rubbed one of the little cartoon asari and wished for better times. Then she took the pill from the nightstand, swallowed it and a big gulp of water, and waited. She was just conscious enough to think, _this isn't very fast acting,_ before her eyes closed and she fell asleep.

* * *

><p>She woke eight hours later, having enjoyed an entirely dreamless sleep. For a moment she even forgot where she was, until EDI flashed on, illuminating her little corner of the room. "Commander Shepard. We are ninety minutes from Horizon."<p>

"Understood EDI. I'm en route to the hanger bay now."

She stood and wobbled slightly as her legs tried to wake up. Apparently the implants didn't react well to her sleeping for so long. She stumbled to the shower, pulling her pyjamas off as she went.

She had discovered early that her skin had new resistance to sensation. Probably it had been put in to protect her against attacks by fire or cryo weapons, but right now all it did was numb her to things. She had to turn the shower all the way up to full heat before it even felt warm to her. She showered quickly, trying to ignore the uncomfortable scrape when she ran her hand over a scar that still wasn't fully healed.

If she pressed down hard enough she could actually feel the metal implants permeating her. They were under her scalp, holding her skull together. Every bone was bolted together, and her muscles didn't feel human in places. They felt more like the hard mass a krogan had beneath its skin. She ignored her reflection in the mirror, again, and grabbed a towel.

Fifteen minutes later she was in the hold in full armour, her weapons attached to the magna-strips and her helmet under her arm. Joker was bringing them on a hard burn through the atmosphere, hoping to shave valuable time from their arrival. They were still an hour out, and god only knew what the Collectors could do in that time.

Slowly but surely the other members of the squad joined her. Jack was first, marching to the furthest end of the bay and planting herself firmly on the bulkhead, arms crossed and head down. For a moment she looked so much like Wrex had used to that Shepard almost laughed, but she didn't want to push things with the unstable biotic.

Zaeed joined them, then Garrus. The two men focused on each other, clearly sizing up the opposition, then proceeded to stand on opposite sides of the bay and stare each other down. Shepard shook her head at that one. Now all they needed was a testosterone three way with Jacob.

Right on cue the soldier joined them, nodding once to Shepard before going to stand by the weapons lockers. Shepard sat on one of the tables, her legs swinging idly as they shared the uncomfortable silence. It was so different than before, when Tali might still have been chattering to anyone who would listen about the latest improvement to the Normandy's drive core, or Ashley would be folding and unfolding her rifle again and again to make sure it was functioning correctly. Now there was only silence and glaring.

Miranda arrived next, just as they were closing in on the final fifteen minutes. Joker radioed down to them an update. "Used Watchman as a gravity slingshot, should buy us a few extra minutes."

"Thanks Joker."

The elevator opened one last time to reveal Kasumi and Mordin, the thief looking incredibly bored as Mordin rabbited on a mile a minute about the adjustments to his design. "Have perfected design Shepard, should use bioelectric field of the subject to amplify a disruption signal. All must wear this on their person," he held up a little black box. "Seeker swarms will be confused."

"Well done Mordin." She took her box and attached it to the side of her belt, where it started whirring gently. "Alright people, into the Kodiak. We have unconfirmed reports that the Collectors may be on Horizon. Their communications have gone dead and no contact has been established. Our primary goal is finding and protecting survivors, secondary objective is to drive back the Collectors."

She got in last, fixing her helmet and sliding into the co-pilot seat. Garrus was a better pilot with the Kodiak than she was, so he took that position. They shared a look, and Shepard knew that he was missing the mako as well.

"Drop in five," he said.

"Strap in people we are hitting atmo in five minutes."

**AN:- **Lots of little bits and pieces in this one to talk about.

Miranda and Shepard trying to work together. I just really love Jack and Miranda and Shepard. There's so strong willed and so similar in some respects but so different in others. Of all the characters they're the ones I'd most like to lock in a room together. No agenda or Cerberus or mission, just the three of them fighting for dominance. I imagine it could only end in an orgy or a murder.

I didn't choose that renegade option, but I love it so much I just had to include it. I also like that Joker still listen's in on things he's not supposed to. I can just imagine Miranda puffing up like a bullfrog when she hears that. I also like her trying to show compassion but not liking doing it.

They never actually explain what exactly is keeping the Collector swarms away. I'd imagine it's something to do with the life signs. A suit of armour may be able to mask heart beat, breathing etc, but stuff like the bioelectric field would be harder to mask, so what if Mordin utilised it as the weapon? Just my little headcanon anyway.

I have this long extended headcanon that Chakwas keeps destroying all Miranda's bugs whenever she sweeps the medical bay to sterilise it, then just apologises because she didn't realise that spraying detergent right into a camera's optics would disable it. I just really didn't like the idea of Shepard not being able to even seek medical help without being spied on.

Cartoon asari pyjamas.

I just wanted to dress Shepard in something ridiculous yet adorable (fanartists, this is your cue by the way) So Liara bought her a present of proper warm fuzzy pyjamas with cartoon asari on them. Obviously the asari are from like a popular asari kid's show or something, but Liara doesn't tell Shepard that.

I was going to start Horizon now, but there was just too much build up. So a short pre-action chapter for you all.


	19. Chapter 18: Horizon

**AN:-** Loooooooooooong chapter today

**Chapter Eighteen: Horizon**

As they touched down it was just as Shepard had feared. The colony looked almost exactly like Eden Prime. A little bigger, sure, a few more pre-fab shelters tightly packed, but the same grass and scenery, the same colour sky, the same gravity. All the things a world needed to be habitable to humans.

And the same silence.

There were no humans anywhere that she could see. The buildings stood empty, their doors and windows open the elements. As Zaeed and Jacob moved out to scout ahead she looked up at the side of the Collector ship. "I guess that confirms it," she said to Garrus.

"We saw them when we came through the atmosphere," he pointed out.

"I know, but I think I might have to stop denying that this is really happening now."

"Chin up Commander. It could be worse."

"Have you been learning human slang?"

"I thought you'd appreciate the effort."

She smiled and unholstered her pistol. "Absolutely, now let's get this show on the road."

Ahead, Jacob and Zaeed had stopped. "We've got some ugly bastards coming in over the walls here Shepard."

"Jack, move to support, Kasumi and Mordin hang back. Garrus?"

"On it Shepard."

"Miranda you stay on my six."

"Understood Shepard."

Shepard looked for a good vantage point, finding a pre-fab shelter with a stack of crates next to it. She scaled them and crouched low on the roof, edging along until she could see the entire battlefield. There half a dozen Collectors in the field ahead of them, all armed with laser and beam weapons. Zaeed, Jacob and Jack were using the low wall surrounding the compound as cover while they returned fire, spraying the air in front of them with rounds. Kasumi and Mordin were out of the line of fire but close enough that Mordin could use his omni tool to boost people's shields when they fell low. Garrus had found his sniping spot, and the first round punched a hole through the lead Collector's head.

"Where do you want me Shepard?" Miranda said.

"Up here with me. I need a tactical eye."

"You've got the experience."

"I'm two years out of date. Just help me alright?"

"Send Kasumi in."

"Where?"

"Two of them are taking cover in that pre-fab shelter. Send her in to flush them, then Jacob can move to that position."

"That's a lot of open ground."

"Jacob has a shield boost system, it'll protect him."

"Got it." Shield boosts had been a pretty rudimentary technology when she left. Just another thing she would have to file away in the experience bank. She activated the radio. "Kasumi, shelter on the right, two Collectors. Can you handle it?"

"Already gone."

Below them the thief vanished from sight. Not even a whisper in the grass to mark her passage. Several tense seconds later a Collector slumped over a window and Kasumi came over the radio. "Building clear."

"Jacob, move to support."

The only response was a double click on the radio, and he exploded out of position, Zaeed standing and giving a long continuous stream of covering fire. The Collectors managed to hit him, and while his shield buckled it didn't break. He rolled into cover behind the door frame and went to the window, emptying a clip into the Collectors in cover.

The numbers were thinning out now and Shepard nodded to Miranda. "Alright, you're in. Clear out the rest."

The operative slid off the roof and snapped her SMG up. Two more Collectors dropped and Zaeed moved into the field. Shepard watched as the last Collector was pinned from three angles and finally dropped.

"Alright," she said, dropping off the roof after her team. "There are no survivors here. Move on. Jacob and Zaeed on point, Miranda and Garrus with me. Kasumi, Jack, Mordin, back up Jacob and Zaeed."

She waited until they had all nodded before she unholstered her pistol. "Move out."

Further in their radios started to crackle. Shepard brought them to a halt and opened the comm line. "Joker?"

Some indistinct static came through from the other end.

"Looks like we're on our own from here on out," Shepard told her team. "Check your short-range radios are working."

A series of clicks came through from the others and she nodded. "We can do this people. Just stay tight and watch reach other's backs."

She wouldn't even have had to tell her old team what to do. They would have automatically known to watch each other and keep close formation. She couldn't even trust that this team would do what she had just ordered them to.

More pre-fab shelters. There were still no survivors that they could see, but as they rounded a corner she did see some husks charging Zaeed. "Trouble," he said, somewhat unnecessarily.

Shepard grabbed her pistol and snapped a shot off, blasting a husk clean in half. The Carnifax really was her favourite new toy. The husks were easily put down, but seeing them didn't bode well.

"I guess this proves that the Collectors and the Reapers are connected," Miranda said.

"The husks we faced before had to be created," Garrus said. "These ones must have been brought with them."

"And these look different. They're more, uh, armoured?"

"Does any of that matter?" Jacob radioed back. "They're here, what else do we need to know?"

"Presence of husks is intriguing. Husks usually uncontrollable, will kill, not retrieve. Why would Collectors on retrieval mission bring husks?"

"Mordin, that's a problem to think about after we leave. Right now we just have to deal with what's in front of us."

"Understood Shepard."

"Move out."

It seemed that the colony had organised itself around wide open spaces connected by narrow pathways where the pre-fab shelters were closer together. As they entered the next open space the Collectors were already waiting for them, but this time as they moved to formation one of them started to glow with a sickly orange light, rising up into the air and spreading its arms. Shepard fired at it but none of the bullets had any effect. A voice echoed, not only in the air but in their heads.

ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL

"Reaper!" Shepard yelled, and Garrus shifted his aim automatically. The others didn't seem to understand, so she turned to her radio. "Target the glowing orange one."

A hail of rounds converged on the Collector, but it didn't even flinch. Shepard saw several of the rounds penetrate its skin and punch clean through, but it just kept walking forwards, speeding up as it locked on to Shepard. "Of course," she muttered, slamming the heat sink out of her pistol. It walk turned to a run, then a full sprint, streaking across the battlefield faster than she would have imagined. It crashed into her hard enough to make her vision go grey, and when she came to it had slammed her up against the side of a prefab shelter and was gathering biotic energy in its other hand.

She fired again and again, remembering how hard Saren had been to kill when Sovereign possessed him. None of her bullets seemed to have any effect though. She pummelled it in the side of the head and it dropped her, but the biotic flare was ready now and it punched her in the side with it. She went flying, crashing through a crate ten feet away. She looked up to see the Collector advancing on her, but Garrus was behind it now with sniper rifle in one hand and assault rifle in the other. He emptied both into the Collector's back and it collapsed to the ground, dissolving into a puddle of sticky black ichor.

"Thanks for the save," Shepard said as she got to her feet.

"No problem. What was that?"

"You remember when Sovereign possessed Saren?"

"Hard to forget."

"I think Harbinger can do the same thing."

"That's not the most comforting news I've heard all day."

"What about the others?"

"Jacob's been sending you the all clear for about five seconds."

Shepard toggled her radio. "Alright, thanks Jacob." She turned back to Garrus. "Any survivors?"

He nodded. "One or two, but it's strange…"

"What hasn't been so far," she grumbled.

When she saw the first colonist, she had to admit it really was strange. "What's happened to him?"

"Light appears to be stasis field. Seeker swarms cause paralysis and eventual unconsciousness. Subjects probably aware they are frozen."

"Are these people aware?"

"Unlikely."

She cut him off before he could launch into an explanation about why. "Can we free them?"

He shook his head vigorously. "Signal generated by Collector ship. Fields will remain up while it is here."

"Okay."

She hated leaving them. She hated that they weren't able to protect them. But the best way to save them would be to push on. Force the Collector's to leave. They had clearly reached some sort of safe house or bunker. A giant locked door barred their path. "Kasumi, get that door open."

"With pleasure Shepard."

"Get ready to move in. There may be survivors inside."

Her team moved into position while she stood in front of the unconscious man frozen before her.

"Don't worry," she said to him, knowing it wouldn't do any good. "We'll protect you."

The door took less than ten seconds. Shepard didn't know whether to be disdainful of the protection offered to the colonists or impressed at Kasumi's skills. They were barely inside the door when she heard a clanking from within.

"Company," she hissed. As her team rushed to position she raised her voice. "Get out here, now."

"You're," a man's voice came from behind a weapons locker. "You're human." He appeared, a scruffy looking man with fear in his eyes. "What are you doing out here? You'll lead them right here!" Panic was starting to overtake him. She wasn't in the mood for it.

"You had to hear them trying to get in. Seems like its hard to hide from the Collectors."

"Those things are Collectors? You mean they're real? I thought they were just made up, you know, propaganda to keep us in Alliance space." He seemed to remember something. "No, they got Lilith! I saw her go down, Sten too, they got damn near everybody."

"What's your name, what do you do here?"

He calmed down a little, but not much. "Name's Delan, mechanic. I came down to check on the main grid after we lost our comm signals. Then I heard screaming, I looked outside and there were swarms of, bugs. Everyone they touched just froze, I sealed the doors. Dammit, it's the Alliance''s fault, they stationed that chief Williams here and built those defence towers, it made us a target."

Miranda perked up. "Defence towers?"

"Yeah. Never worked right. Targeting systems were bust."

Shepard was barely paying attention to him. "If we can get a message through to EDI she might be able to patch in and fire up the turrets."

"It's worth a shot Shepard," Garrus said.

"You stay here," she said to Delan, who didn't look likely to argue. "Get behind cover and don't open this door, you understand?"

He nodded.

"Everyone else, follow me."

They came out the other side into an ambush. Husks poured from every direction and rounds peppered their shields. The team split, all searching for cover individually. Shepard watched as Jack and Jacob collided, fighting over a spot of cover before Jacob was forced to abandon it and run to where Mordin was ducked behind a flatbed truck. Kasumi had disappeared entirely and Zaeed was grappling with a husk hand to hand. She shot that one in the back and glared at him when he sneered at her. He pulled his assault rifle and got behind cover, leaving her free to jump into the trailer of the flatbed.

"Hi Shepard." Garrus was lying on the floor of the truck, his sniper rifle across his chest. "Nice of you to join me."

She unfolded her pistol and lay next to him. "Thought you could use some company back here."

He sat and fired in one fluid motion, blasting a Collector's arm off. Shepard was a second behind him, firing under her arm and dropping a husk in a spiral of sparks and grey ooze.

"Just like old times, huh!" He was actually grinning, but she had spotted something.

"Not exactly."

The pulsating blob waved one arm and the ground before them ruptured and split in biotic explosions. They both ducked behind the measly cover, but the explosions flipped the truck clean onto its side. Before it could complete the spin and crush Mordin she slammed against it, bracing her back and spreading her arms. Impossibly, she managed to hold the truck in place. Garrus was on his feet in a second and helping her, following swiftly by Jacob.

"So do you have a plan or not?" Garrus grunted as another biotic blast rocked the ground under their feet.

"Working on it."

A third blast split the cab off the truck, leaving them holding a trailer. "Suggest working faster," Mordin pattered.

Her mind was racing as another blast hit the truck. Zaeed had rushed to join them holding it up as well. "The husks are down," he growled. "So are the Collectors. Only the big bastard left standing."

"Miranda, Jack."

Her radio fizzed for a second, then. "Both here Shepard."

"Try and flank it. Biotic push on both sides, turn it around, trip it up I don't care."

There was a second of silence, then a creaking scream from the husk and Miranda was back on. "It's down on one knee Shepard. Hurry."

"There's your window," she said to Jacob and Zaeed, who leapt out and opened fire.

Five seconds later Miranda radioed an all clear. Shepard stepped out and walked over to the dead husk with Mordin in tow. "What is it?" She asked when they were standing over the mess.

"Hard to speculate. Appears to have multiple sets of limbs and heads. Could be multiple husks sharing one body. Possibility alarming. Also, could be that combination of biomass and electronics allows for biotic ability or simulation of. Would need to dissect for further study."

"I'll buy you one for your birthday," she said. "Alright people. Hopefully that's all the tricks the Collectors have. We know what they look like; we know how to put them down. They might be tough, but they're not invincible." She checked her map of the colony. "The defence towers are just over that ridge. Double time it people, we're almost out of the woods."

Garrus fell into step with her as they ran for the gun. "Don't you know better than to say that Commander?"

"I'm hoping if I keep a positive outlook, the universe might smile back for once." Ahead they saw the console for the defence tower, surrounded by four Collectors.

"But then again..."

They both dropped to one knee, rifles raised and firing almost before they had fully opened. Two shots rang out, then a blister of automatic fire. The four Collectors dropped and the team moved to cover around the area while Shepard and Miranda went to the console.

"Looks like the jamming signal was coming from here," Miranda said, opening up her omni-tool.

"-mmander?"

"Normandy, do you copy?"

"Joker here. Signal's weak Commander, but we got you."

She cut right to it. "EDI, can you get the colony's defence towers online?"

"Errors in the calibration software are easily rectified but it will take time to bring the towers to full power." _Of course. Nothing can ever just go smoothly._ "I recommend a defensive posture. I will not be able to mask the increased generator output."

Kasumi had heard the exchange as well. "Once they notice the Collectors _will_ try to stop it."

Shepard only glanced out at the battlefield for a second. She knew that the team would have got themselves into the best cover for themselves. "Start it up Miranda, then get to cover. Garrus!"

He jogged over to her as she made her way to one of the pre-fab shelters. It was clear the colonists had tried to make some sort of stand here. There was plenty of cover and even some makeshift barricades. "Where do you want me Shepard?"

"I need a boost up onto a roof. You know where you'll do the most good."

He nodded and cupped his hands, letting her step onto them and propel herself onto the roof of one of the pre-fab shelters. Below she saw Miranda racing for cover. "Better hurry Garrus. Looks like someone left the door open."

He was already gone when she looked down. She law prone on the roof, trusting the disruption pattern on her armour would at least confuse the Collectors, if nothing else. She realised she didn't even know how they saw, and whether they would use HUDs similar to her own. She checked her radar and saw red dots appearing on it. She fitted the rifle to her eye and breathed slow.

She fired the second black wings filled her scope, the shot blasting a hole clean through the Collector. A second shot roared below as she was cycling the action and a second Collector fell from the sky. There were too many to snipe though, and soon the courtyard was filled with gunfire and shouting.

It was a mess. The sort of mess she remembered from live fire exercises as a cadet. Only Miranda and Jacob were covering each other's backs and more than once she saw people blunder into their own teammates' fields of fire. She only just noticed that Mordin had been blocked into a corner before his head was blown off and ordered Zaeed in to cover him.

Just as she was watching Jack accidentally elbow an invisible Kasumi in the face the roof next to her buckled and she looked over to see a glowing orange leg an inch from her face. She barely managed to swing her rifle in front of her before the Collector kicked her, hard enough to shatter the weapon in two pieces. She went rolling across the roof, the wind knocked out of her and a stabbing pain in her chest.

She got to her feet just in time to intercept a one-two punch from the Collector.

i know this hurts you, it said in the creepy voice that echoed in her head.

She slammed her fist up under its 'jaw' and followed with an elbow to the shoulder. She had never excelled at hand to hand, but since being 'improved' she found it a little easier. "What are you?"

i am harbinger. you will not stop me.

It moved faster than she could see and punched her hard in the gut. She flew off the roof and crashed down hard on a shipping crate, denting it before rolling off onto the ground. She dimly heard someone yelling her name before a sledgehammer hit her stomach and she went flying again.

She coughed, feeling the wet taste of blood in her mouth where she had bitten the inside of her cheek, and managed to stand. She just had time to see it bearing down on her before it hit her again and she snapped back towards the centre of the field.

This time when she landed she was able to scrabble to her feet quickly and draw her pistol and her SMG. She locked her left arm and opened up with the SMG, every shot landing dead on and blasting flakes of dead skin and cells off the Collector. It looked like it had been burned to a crisp, and only the orange energy was keeping it upright.

The second her SMG went dry she raised the Carnifax and fired as quickly as the action would cycle, emptying six rounds right into the Collector's torso. It stumbled, dropped to one knee, and finally crumbled into dust.

"Nice kill Shepard." Zaeed was at her ear.

"You could have helped."

"Too busy keeping the other little buggers from killing you." He fired his assault rifle as he spoke, capping another husk in the face.

"I appreciate it." She reloaded and looked to see the other members of her squad all behind cover. The last of the husks and Collectors seemed to be down though. "EDI, how's it going?"

"Turrets are almost online. Sensors indicate a large mass moving on your position though."

_Oh what now?_

A brilliant beam of light sliced down into the floor next to her, burning clean through. She yelped and leapt backwards, Zaeed rolling for cover as well. A second beam sliced right where they had been standing, charging the air in front of her. Every hair on her body stood on end and she threw herself to the side, not caring about the direction. Sure enough a beam cut the air where she had been standing.

_Particle beam,_ the part of her that wasn't in full fight-or-flight mode said. Particle weapons were banned on every world spinning, and even research into them had been heavily discouraged when she died. Shields were practically useless against them, and getting hit with a laser powerful enough to charbroil your flesh and give you cancer all in one go was not a pleasant experience.

She kept on running as the beam cut the ground behind her, spotting her team hiding out behind a low wall near the edge of the compound. She made for the wall and threw herself behind it just as they opened up, the combined fire seeming to halt the particle beam.

She looked behind to see a monstrosity floating about ten feet above the ground. At first glance it had four bug eyes, and when she looked closer she realised that beneath it were the heads of multiple husks stuck inside the thing. Four legs dangled loosely, reminding her of Sovereign's limbs. It surveyed the team and fired again, scoring a deep line along the wall.

"What the fuck is that?" Jack grunted as she put her SMG up again and opened fire.

"More importantly how do we stop it?" Garrus sounded as calm as ever, but his mandibles were flaring as he racked the action on his rifle.

"Give me concentrated fire on the centre. Try and take out the eyes."

The team popped up and opened fire while Shepard watched. It didn't seem to do much damage, but the thing did at least recoil a little, and in that second she saw that the underside was nothing but husks, leading right to the electronics at the core.

"I hate myself," she muttered.

"What was that Shepard?"

"I said Garrus give me your sniper rifle. Zaeed too."

She took both rifles and checked that they had heat sinks in them. The praetorian had fired again and this time the wall was beginning to crumple under the fire. "Concentrated fire, one more time."

This time when they fired she vaulted the wall and sprinted until she was underneath the thing, dropping onto her back and pointing both rifles straight above her head. She willed her muscles to do their super-enhanced thing and fired.

Shockwaves rippled down her arms, slamming her shoulders down into the dirt. She felt pain rippling down from her wrists and elbows as they protested. She didn't have time to worry though, rolling out of the way as quickly as she could before the floating beast dropped on top of her. It was sputtering and creaking, folding in on the wound while it leaked the sickly grey ooze that the husks had for blood.

She got to her feet and ran for cover as it lowered to the ground. She had more than enough experience of things that started to creak and whine at her to stick around. Apparently the Collectors didn't believe in surge protectors. She had just leapt behind another truck when the thing exploded, sending waves of radiation washing over them. Her suit crackling and beeped at her as her shields sparked and flared.

Dimly she became aware of the sound of guns. Deep rhythmic booming from the colony defence turrets. The Collector ship was lifting away, and as she stood she watched it breach the atmosphere and vanish behind the clouds.

"It's pointless," Jacob said. "They got what they came for. There's no reason to stay."

"No!" Delan came rushing towards them. "Don't let them get away!"

"There's nothing we can do," Shepard said, putting a hand on his chest. "They're gone."

"Half the colony's in there!" He struggled against her, but it was pointless. "They took Egan and Sam and, and Lilith." He stopped trying to get past her and smacked her chest. "Do something!"

"I didn't want it to end this way," she let him pummel her. "I did what I could."

"More than most." The voice froze her. Memories flooded her and she looked over to see a face she hadn't thought she'd ever see again. "Shepard."

She was speechless. But Delan wasn't. "Shepard... wait... I know that name." He stepped back and pointed at her. "Sure I remember you; you're some type of big Alliance hero."

"Commander Shepard, Captain of the Normandy," Williams was coming closer. "The first human SPECTRE, Saviour of the Citadel. You're in the presence of a god Delan, back from the dead."

"All the good people we lost and you get left behind, figures, screw this, I'm done with you Alliance types." He wandered off, but Shepard could only see Ashley.

"I thought you were dead Commander, we all did."

They finally met, Shepard pulling Ashley in close and holding her tight. She had to make sure it was real, not just another trick of her memory or Cerberus.

"It's been too long Ash." They stepped away and she couldn't think of a thing to say. "How've you been?"

"That's it? You show up after two years and act like nothing's happened? I would have followed you anywhere Commander. I thought you were gone I..." She saw it again. That resentment that Joker and Garrus carried with them. The betrayal she had caused them by dying. By leaving them at the mercy of the Council and the public. "You were more than our Commander, why didn't you try to contact me, why didn't you let me know you were alive?"

"I was out for two years. You've moved on with your career and your life. Why reopen old wounds?"

She gave the patented Ashley Williams half-smile. It was more jaded than Shepard remembered. "I moved on, but here you are pulling me back in. And now we've got reports about you and Cerberus."

"Reports? You mean you already knew?"

"Of course," Zaeed muttered behind her. "It's the worst kept secret in the galaxy."

"Alliance intel said Cerberus could be behind our missing colonies, we got a tip that this one could be the next to get hit. I went to Anderson but he wouldn't talk. And there were rumours that you weren't dead, worse, that you were working for the enemy!"

"Human colonies are disappearing, the Alliance turned its back on them, Cerberus is the only group willing to do something about it." Miranda wasn't helping anything.

"Bullshit, I know what Cerberus is like, they talk about putting humans first, but at what cost?" It was almost funny, hearing Ashley talking like this. "I wanted to believe that you were alive, I just, never expected anything like this. You've turned your back on everything we stood for."

"Ash, you know me, you know I'd only do this for the right reasons," even as she said it she didn't believe it. How much was she trying to convince herself of now? "You saw it yourself; the Collectors are targeting human colonies. And they're working with the Reapers."

"I'd like to believe you Shepard, but I don't trust Cerberus, and it worries me that you do. What did they do to you? What if they're behind it? What if they're the ones working with the Collectors?"

Miranda was sneering. Standing at her side. The symbolism wasn't lost on any of them. "Typical Alliance attitude, you're so focused on Cerberus that you're blind to the real threat."

Ashley focused on Shepard. "Look. Maybe you feel like you owe Cerberus because they saved you. Maybe it's you. Doesn't matter, I still know where my loyalties lie. I'm an Alliance soldier it's in my blood. I'm reporting back to the Citadel, I'll let them decide if they believe your story."

She had to try. "I could use someone like you on my crew Ash; it'd be just like old times."

She didn't even look back. "No it won't."

**AN:-** This one was starting to look a little like Noveria from last time. But I decided not to cut it in half this time.

I'm trying to do a new thing with the combat scenes. In an effort to try and represent the slightly updated combat system in ME2 Shepard is going to be doing a lot more tactical battlefield appraising stuff rather than being down in the action. Hopefully this will also break up some of the monotony of the constant action scenes.

Not a great deal to say otherwise. Obviously the team are really not combat ready, and I find it hard to believe that Jack or Zaeed would be a team player right off the bat. The basic flow of this story is that they collect the first team members within the first like 2/3 weeks and then immediately have to go to Horizon, then spend maybe a month or two waiting for the scientists to figure out the IFF before going through the relay, which gives them time to become an actual team.

Favourite moment: Harbinger and Shepard fist fighting.

See you for the aftermath.


	20. Chapter 19: Dinner Talk

**AN:-** Woopee! Another chapter

**Chapter Nineteen: Dinner Talk**

The Illusive Man was uncharacteristically happy. Or at least Shepard assumed that was the emotion he was trying to convey. He hadn't moved from his seat and he didn't sound excited, but he was actually offering her praise.

"Shepard, good work on Horizon. Hopefully the Collectors will think twice before attacking another colony."

"It's not a victory," she said blandly. "We interrupted the Collectors, but they still abducted half the colony."

"That's better than an entire colony, and more than we've accomplished since the abductions began. The Collectors will be more careful now, but I think we can find another way to lure them in."

_Another way to lure them in? I thought the attack on Horizon was entirely random. _She didn't let any emotion show. She had suspected he had had a hand in causing the Horizon attack anyway. "Ash said the Alliance got a tip about me and Cerberus, was that you?"

He smoked a little, and she could almost see the defences coming down in his mind. "I may have let it slip that you were alive, and with Cerberus."

"You risked the lives of my friend and my crew and that entire colony just to lure the Collectors there." She didn't bother to hide her disdain.

"A calculated risk, I suspected the collectors were looking for you or people connected to you, now I know for certain." He leaned forwards, the most motion she had ever seen from him. "I told you I wouldn't sit and wait while the Reapers and Collectors gather strength. Besides, they would have hit another colony eventually and without a way to predict which one they'd have abducted everyone."

It was impossible to know how serious he was. In any other person the sitting forwards, the eye contact, all of it would have suggested he was deadly serious. But she knew how well versed in body language he had to be. "We have to make sure they don't abduct anyone else," she said.

"I want the Collectors stopped for that very reason. That's why we're doing this." _That__'s why I'm doing this sure. I'm still not so sure about you._ "I'm devoting all resources to finding a way through the Omega Four Relay we have to hit them where they live. Your team will need to be strong, as will their resolve. There's no looking back." He leaned back in his chair again. "The same goes for you. Can I assume you've put your past relationships behind you?"

_You son of a bitch. _"None of your damn business."

"If it affects the mission, better you should leave it behind. Shepard, once you find a way through the Omega Four relay to the Collector homeworld, there's no guarantee you'll return. To have any hope of surviving, you and your entire team must be fully committed to this."

_What happened in your past Illusive Man? Any fool should know that caring for things back home is what keeps you strong. _"Let me worry about them. You just find us a way to the Collector homeworld."

"I just wanna be up front about your odds. You'll need everyone at their best." _No argument there. __"_I've forwarded three more dossiers to you. Keep building your team while I find a way through the Relay. And be careful Shepard, the Collectors will be watching you."

* * *

><p>"So what did TIM want?"<p>

"Tim?"

"Y'know, The Illusive Man, T-I-M, TIM."

"That's good Joker. You think of it all on your own or did EDI give you a hand?"

"The Illusive Man should be referred to be his full title at all times." If Shepard didn't know better she'd swear the AI sounded petulant.

"Now now EDI, whatever keeps morale up." She grinned to Joker. "You know TIM; he just wanted to rattle my dome a little." If AIs could huff in frustration, EDI would have. "He said he was sending through more dossiers. Did you receive them?"

"I did. And our course is already laid in."

"What?"

"Trust me Commander. I know exactly where we want to go first."

Shepard read the dossier, not able to keep the smile from her face. "Good call Joker. What's our ETA?"

"About twenty hours."

"Right." She closed the screen and thought for a moment. "I don't suppose you still have access to the better supplies?"

"Of course I do."

"Tell Gardner to put on his chef hat. I want a meal by..." She paused. "Joker what time is it?"

"Local time is 2230."

"Right." She thought some more. "And how long has everyone been up?"

About four hours."

"That's better. Tell Gardner I want a meal by local time 0130."

"Of course Commander. And will I be joining you?"

"I'd like for you to be there. I'm not sure if any of the others will accept the invitation."

"Well you could always order them Commander. Throw some muscle around."

"Thanks for the suggestion Joker. I'd prefer this meal to go down without a fist fight though."

"Well remember Ashley and Garrus last time?"

"No offence to Ash but I'd prefer to face her instead of a pissed off Jack."

"You make a fair point."

* * *

><p>Miranda eyed the invitation suspiciously. What was Shepard playing at? All ground crew to report to the mess hall at 0120 hours? There was surely no need for an inspection, and the debriefing for their next mission was nearly eighteen hours away. And why meeting in the mess? Surely if Shepard wanted to dress them down she'd choose somewhere a little less public? Unless she had completely underestimated the Commander and was about to find out that she liked public humiliation as a training tool.<p>

Hesitantly she set it into her meetings list, although she decided she would arrive five minutes after it had started. She closed her calendar, then opened it up and changed the time to five minutes before. If she arrived early she could maybe head Shepard off. She closed the calendar and opened up her mission report for the Illusive Man. Two words in she opened up the calendar and changed the time to 0120. If she arrived early she might seem presumptuous.

* * *

><p>Jacob checked automatically that he would respond to the meeting at 0120. One thing he had learned from years of service was that senior officers and deadlines were not a happy combination. He resumed his exercise regime, wondering what exactly Shepard wanted. Sure there had been some major malfunction in the teamwork on horizon, but that was better to be addressed during a training exercise. Not that they had had training exercises on the Normandy at all...<p>

He put it out of his mind and got back to his crunches. He was sure he'd find out when he needed to.

* * *

><p>Garrus knew exactly what Shepard was doing, even if he thought she might need to watch her back. He accepted the invitation and then went to his locker and pulled out the secret compartment where he kept the real weapons.<p>

He chose a decorative turian knife that he could wear and claim was only a ceremonial piece, even if the monomolecular blade could shear through krogan armour if he put enough weight behind it. He had arranged for his battle dress to be shipped to them. It wasn't quite as good as his heavy armour, but it would shield him from a pistol shot at close range. Turian dinners had once been somewhat dicey affairs, and thankfully his ancestors had prepared accordingly.

* * *

><p>Mordin ignored the message at first, far too consumed in research to even fully process what he was reading. Once he was finished mapping contamination vectors he read it again and had to admit he was curious. Humans spent so much time on frivolities like debriefings and dressings down. Salarians tended to go through such things at a much faster rate. But it would be an interesting study of human behaviour.<p>

* * *

><p>Zaeed deleted the e-mail. He didn't need some uptight prissy bitch telling him when to shoot and when to duck. Besides, he had a target to track down...<p>

* * *

><p>Kasumi found she was actually quite excited. She had never attended anything military before. She wondered whether Shepard would be like all the drill sergeants in the movies, barking at one of them until they broke down and cried. She would pay good money to see Miranda blubbing her eyes out over a mean comment about her hair.<p>

* * *

><p>Jack ignored the mail. Then deleted it. Then fished it out of the deleted folder and read it again. Shepard and her orders again.<p>

She flexed her hand, biotic energy coming to bear in the blink of an eye. Literally. While other biotics needed mnemonic forms and gestures to use their powers she had honed hers to respond almost instinctively. She heard it was how the asari fought as well. If anything she could give one of those stuck-up blue bitches a run for her money.

She would show, but she'd be late, and if Shepard tried to ream her out they'd go toe to toe.

She'd like that.

* * *

><p>"I suppose you're wondering what I called this meeting for."<p>

Miranda did wonder that, as Shepard walked in front of them. Joker was seated at the table, watching the Commander, and over by the kitchen Gardner was hard at work, but so clearly listening in.

"It has come to my attention that there have been some lapses in team morale. Obviously this is very concerning to me. So I have decided to address the matter in the most direct way I know how." She looked back over her shoulder. "Gardner?"

_Oh god,_ Miranda couldn't help the thought. _Is she going to have us all scrubbing toilets together for team building?_

"Dinner is served," Gardner said, bringing several steaming dishes out from under the counter.

"Everyone sit. That's an order." Shepard went to help Gardner carry the plates over, setting them down in the middle of the table. "Now we didn't really know what people would like, so we just made a big mess of everything, and you can all dig in."

"A chef proficient in salarian cuisine?" Mordin said as Gardner whipped the top off something apparently called B'zah, and that Gardner called 'squid 'n bits.' "This is an unusual treat."

"Well I don't know if I cooked it right or not, but you can be the judge of it."

Shepard put the only dextro-amino meal in front of Garrus and smiled at him. "See? So far no disintegrations."

Garrus noticed easily the bulge of a compact pistol on her back and the telltale crease at her sleeves that betrayed a knife. "Are you always so armed for dinner?" He asked under his breath.

"I don't remember you ever carrying a knife in plain site before."

As the final plates were set down Gabby and Ken arrived from below decks, coming to sit by Miranda and Jacob.

"Jack?" Shepard asked.

"Still holed up in her little hidey hole," Ken said, grabbing a hunk of bread. When Gabby gave him an affronted look he gestured with the bread. "What? No one said this was formal."

"He's right," said Shepard as she took her seat. "Everyone dig in."

Garrus and Joker, more than used to their commander's slightly odd way of looking at things, got stuck in. Jacob caught on quickly enough and pulled an entire plate of ribeye steaks towards himself. Shepard grinned and leaned across the table, stabbing her fork into one. He looked up in surprise and she winked at him, taking the steak for herself and putting it on her plate. Mordin was next, putting heaped spoonfuls of sea food onto his plate. Kasumi had found the small amount of sushi Gardner had been able to prepare and was guarding it with her knife. Only Miranda had an empty plate, and was staring at her crewmates in barely contained horror.

"Not hungry Miranda?" Shepard teased, choosing a hearty mouthful of vegetables. Joker's vegetables were like nothing she had ever tasted. It was amazing he actually managed to keep them fresh.

"Well, I suppose…" Miranda took the tiniest portion of vegetables she could manage and put them in a little pile in the centre of her plate.

"I thought you'd be more hungry," Shepard said. "Using biotics always used to exhaust Kaidan."

"Man I remember one time when we were on Omega," Jacob started, but cut off very quickly when Miranda glared at him.

"Oh no, you don't get off that easily," Shepard waved her fork at the operative. "Go on Jacob, this is your commander giving you an order now."

"Well," Jacob took a swig of the synthohol to steel himself. "We'd just had to drag some informant halfway across the station to stop the vorcha from chewing on him, and of course we're both using our biotics pretty heavily for a full hour. Now I'm a big eater when I'm dry, but Miranda, the second he's on the the shuttle she grabs me by the jacket and drags me to this greasy side of the road meat vendor and she throws down her credit chit, her fully licenced Cerberus chit, and tells him to just keep running it."

"Jacob," Miranda growled, but now every eye was on Jacob as he leaned back in his chair.

"I tell you, I didn't even get a single bite. She cleaned out the whole goddamn trolley. I tell you til the day I die I will never see anything quite so extraordinary as Miranda Lawson eating an entire roasted pyjak, skin and all."

Miranda pushed her chair away from the table. "I think I might have made a mistake."

"No," Shepard was aware she had said it a bit forcefully, but she smiled to take some of the sting out of her words. "I'm sorry, you just went first. Alright, my turn."

"Are you finally going to give us the story of the hyper-intelligent space hamster?" Garrus asked.

"No no, that's a special one. How about the amazing streaking Shepard?"

"Now that does sound like a story." Shepard turned round to see Chakwas emerging from the Med-Bay. "I'm so sorry I'm late."

"Not at all doctor," Garrus pulled the chair next to him out. "Please have a seat."

"Mr Vakarian, always the gentleman." She sat and filled her plate, looking to Shepard as she did so. "Now about this streaking…"

"Well it all started with a bad hand of poker. See, I had been baited into the game, and I didn't really know much about poker at the time. So eventually the drink kicks in and we get round to playing strip poker."

"Strip poker?" Garrus asked.

"Poker is a card game," Joker explained. "Strip poker is when you play for clothes instead of money."

"I see. Must be a human thing."

"Well anyway. I wasn't very good, and neither was this other guy. Garick. So we both ended up in our skivvies and the only way to get any of it back was to bet big. But obviously we don't have much more to bet with. So Garick suggests a dare on top of the clothes."

Garrus looked confused again. "A dare?"

"Someone dares you to do something stupid," Joker said. "So Commander, when you say down to the skivvies, are we talking those regulation boxers the Alliance makes you wear or was this a more casual scenario?"

It was a classic Joker bait, but she was up for it. The only way to get the best of him was to go so far he practically got a nosebleed. She leaned in close and lowered her voice until it was husky and smooth. "Well Garick was in his silk boxers, and I was in nothin' but a pair of lace panties and a smile."

Joker gulped and put his hand to his mouth. Kenny was gaping as well, but she could see Gabby giving her a huge smile out of the corner of her eye. It seemed that every man at the table was now contemplating his meal while Gabby and Chakwas tittered.

"Now I would have paid to see that."

The voice surprised her. She turned to see Jack standing awkwardly by the table. "Is there room for me?"

"Of course." Shepard pulled out the chair to her left. "I wouldn't have sent the invitation otherwise."

"Funny how much that invitation looked like an order to me Shepard."

"I don't know what you mean Miranda."

"Can we maybe return to the naked Shepard story?" Joker asked.

"Of course, how could I forget." She took her time with her next bite of steak. "So there we were, Garick trying to keep his legs crossed and me trying to keep my arms crossed, and we just bet the last of our clothes and a dare of the others choosing. And of course I got a pair of twos and he got three of a kind against their full house."

Joker was all but drooling into his meal. "So what was the dare?"

"One full lap of the garrison, and no using our hands to cover ourselves."

"How far did you get?"

"I made it about a third of the way, Garick claims he made it halfway round." She took a drink. "I ran into this absolute battleaxe of a gunny sergeant. She was the toughest, meanest son of a bitch on the entire station, and she treated all of us like absolute dirt."

"So exactly how long did you spend scrubbing toilets?"

"Well actually she was alright with me. I get the feeling she'd been involved in a few pranks in her time. My punishment detail was to march immediately back to my bunk, still naked I might add, and then scrub everyone's boots for a ceremony we were having. Of course, Garick ran straight in General Crespin."

"General?"

"General Crespin, or as we knew him, Base Commander General Crespin."

There was a round of laughter from most of the diners.

"Garick was told to cover his shortcomings and spend the rest of the month cleaning the bathrooms. All the bathrooms."

Garrus chuckled. "I suppose 'shortcomings' means the same in both our languages?"

"In Garick's case? Definitely."

That even raised a smile from Miranda.

"Do you still play poker Commander?" Ken asked. "Because Gabby and me, we enjoy a game every now and then."

"Well I never got much better," she said, careful to keep her rueful smile in place. "I haven't played in years…"

"Maybe we should have a game sometimes. Only friendly of course."

"I think I might just take you up on that Kenneth."

Ken turned to Jack. "So what about you Jack? You got any stories from your long and varied history?"

"Oh I got stories." Jack had barely touched the meagre amount of food. "Would you like to hear about the time I joined a cult and had to slaughter my way out? Or when I got screwed over by a girlfriend-boyfriend team who tried to shank me while we were in bed together?"

"I just thought…"

"Yeah I don't give a fuck what you thought. You've been staring at my tits ever since I came on board and now you want to hear all my dirty secrets?"

"Jack, let's keep it friendly."

"You know what fuck you too Shepard. I don't need any of this shit. It's not gonna help me fight and it's sure as hell not going to help us survive." She shoved away from the table, her chair slamming into the wall. She stormed away, and a second later they heard the elevator door close.

"I think I might get back to my reports," Miranda said, standing and walking straight back to her room.

Within a minute only Shepard, Joker, Chakwas and Garrus were left at the table.

Shepard put her head into her hands. "Time Joker?"

"Uh," /he checked. "0150."

"Good," Shepard took her knife and cut off another bit of steak she didn't really feel like eating. "Lasted longer than I thought it would."

"And no one pulled a weapon or biotics," Garrus pushed his plate away.

"I tried. Can't fault me for trying."

"So will we be doing this again?"

"Well with any luck we'll have Tali back by tomorrow, so it'll be a little less awkward."

"Here's hoping Commander."

**AN:- **I always knew I was going to be including The Illusive Man's most well known fan nickname. I just love the idea of EDI and Miranda getting really annoyed at Joker and Shepard for constantly calling him TIM.

I love it when the different members of the team are responding to Shepard's invite. Probably my favourite moment of this chapter.

Shepard's story was taken from the X-Wing book Wraith Squadron, as was the joke about shortcomings. I kind of wanted to get through to the bit with Jack and end the chapter so I just took the story from somewhere else.

EDIT 01/09/2013: So I just finished Mass Effect 3 and I am genuinely so infuriated by that ending that I am going to be taking a short hiatus from anything Mass Effect related. Hopefully I'll be back in a week or two but I just can't even read my notes for this novelisation without getting irrationally angry right now. I really apologise and I should warn you in advance that I will not be following the canon ending for Mass Effect 3. Anyone who likes the canon ending should probably be aware of that now.


	21. Chapter 20: Grunt Work

**AN:-** And we're back! Man the ending for ME3 is awful isn't it? Rewrite already in progress, believe me.

**Chapter Twenty: Grunt Work**

As the rest of the crew slept Shepard wandered the ship, eventually finding herself in the cargo bay where the krogan's pod had been stored. She watched it for several minutes, enjoying the peace in the swirling cryo vapour.

"Hey EDI?"

The blue orb sprang to life from a console to her left. "Shepard?"

"What's his status?"

"The subject is stable Shepard. Integration with onboard systems was seamless."

"Could he see anything in there? Does he know where he is?"

"Unlikely. Current neurological readings indicate a deep sleep."

"Any idea how dangerous he is?"

"He is a krogan Shepard." EDI didn't elaborate further, and Shepard didn't really need it. She still remembered Wrex after all.

"What can you tell me about this guy? Anything unusual?"

"He is an exceptional example of the krogan species." There was a moment of silence. "We have no readings on what Okeer may have programmed him with. He could be mentally unstable, or prone to violence."

Shepard already knew what she was going to do. She had just needed to see him. "Standby, I'm gonna open the tank and let him out."

"Cerberus protocol is very clear regarding untested alien technology."

"He's either a powerful addition to the crew or a time bomb. I'd rather deal with it now." _While no one else is awake. Good move idiot._

"Very well Shepard. The controls are online. The switch, and consequences, are yours." If Shepard didn't know better she'd have thought EDI was getting snarky.

Nonetheless she triggered the release sequence, watching as the cryo vapour evaporated within the pod. The door cracked open slightly and she stepped back, trying to see through the fog which poured from the pod. She could make out the shape of the krogan as it began to move, but before she could say a word it exploded out of the smoke and slammed into her, driving her back across the room.

They collided with the wall, his arm pressed against her throat. It wasn't using even a fraction of its strength. She could feel the power in the coiled muscles. She wondered if even Wrex could stand against the clone.

"Human female," his name sounded so much younger than she had been expecting. It was deep like any krogan, but with that same smooth quality of the krogan they had met on Korlus. Shepard wondered if all krogan sounded like this when they were young, or if it was only Okeer's clones. "Before you die I need a name."

"I'm Commander Shepard," she said, careful to keep her voice firm and level. "And I don't take threats lightly. I suggest you relax." It was the voice she had learned from Gunny Ellis. New recruits came to fear that voice more than the full voiced bellow or the furious dressing down. When the brass used their calm voice, any marine, young or old, would jump to parade attention.

Krogan were not so easily stopped. "Not your name. Mine. I am trained; I know things, but the tank..." He seemed to be fighting for the word. "Okeer, couldn't implant connection. His words are hollow. Warlord. Legacy. Grunt. Grunt was among the last. It has no meaning. It'll do. I am Grunt. If you are worthy of your command, prove your strength and try to destroy me."

She didn't like the way this was going. Still, she couldn't resist a jab. If she was going out she was going out smiling. "You wouldn't prefer Okeer, or legacy?"

"It's short, matches the training in my blood. The other words are big things I don't feel; maybe they fit your mouth better. I feel nothing for Okeer's clan or his enemies." She saw her way in. "I'll do what I am bred to do. Fight and determine the strongest. But his imprint has failed. Without a reason that's mine, one fight is as good as any other. Might as well start with you."

"I have a good ship and a strong crew," she remembered her conversations with Wrex, remembered how krogan thought. "A strong clan. You'd make it stronger."

He growled low and dangerous, but she knew he was interested. The pressure on her neck had decreased ever so slightly. "If you're weak, and choose weak enemies, I'll have to kill you."

"Our enemies are worthy, no doubt about that."

"That's acceptable. I'll fight for you."

"I'm glad you saw reason." She triggered the button on the side of her pistol and it shrank down to compact size again. He looked down at it and she saw his eyes narrow. If he recognised the make, and she was sure Okeer's tank had taught him that much, then he would know it could have easily punched clean through his stomach and done a great deal of damage to his internal organs.

He only smiled. "Heh. Offer one hand but arm the other. Why Shepard, if I find a clan, if I find what I want; I will be honoured to eventually pit them against you."

She only nodded, turning and marching out of the bay.

Only when she had reached the elevator did she let out the breath she had been holding, leaning heavily against the railing and willing her shaking muscles to keep her upright.

"Shepard, my sensors detect high levels of stress and anxiety. Would you like me to call Doctor Chakwas?"

"No. No need EDI. Just thinking."

"I do not understand."

The door opened to her cabin and she walked through, barely noticing as Edi blinked on beside her. "He could have killed me EDI."

"My records indicate that you have bested several krogan in the past Shepard."

"That doesn't mean the next one can't kill me. He had me dead to rights." She fell into her chair and waited until the blinking light that signalled EDI's presence had transferred to her computer. "Yes my gun could have put a hole through him but he could have bitten my head off before he died if he wanted to."

"But he didn't."

"You don't understand EDI. I'm only alive because of luck. There's plenty of other soldiers more unlucky than me who are dead."

"Luck is not confined to individuals Shepard. 'Luck' as you refer to it is simply the probability of a positive outcome, as affected by multiple factors both known and unknown."

"I forgot you're a computer." Shepard jabbed the button on her drink maker and a second later it spat out a hot chocolate. As she drank it she felt herself calming down enough to try and explain herself to EDI. "Life isn't about maths and statistics EDI, you can't predict some things. Anyone who's ever been on a battlefield knows about it. Some people are lucky. Luckier than statistics would suggest, luckier than logic would suggest. I'm one of them, for whatever good it does me."

"I do not understand."

"Look at my life. I was on Mindoir when raiders hit. How many people got out of that colony alive? A dozen marines? Less than twenty colonists out of nearly three hundred? Then I joined the military and served during the Skylian Blitz. Fifty marines on leave and pirates decide to raid. We lost nearly thirty marines that day trying to hold the line when they breached the defences, and a lot of civilians besides. And I walk out again."

"Many marines survive extreme situations on several occasions."

"I'm not saying I'm the only lucky marine. There's other guys who got shot two minutes into their first firefight or who managed to live through but suffered some sort of problem every time they got out of bed. Then there's people like me, or Ashley, or Hackett, who somehow manage to keep coming through the fire unburned."

"Then I do not understand your concern."

"Sooner or later your luck has to run out. And the bigger the risks, the more luck you need, the less you have later." She waved at the computer before EDI could chime in. "I know you think that's illogical and your statistics don't support it, but you haven't been out there. I've seen people use up their luck and die because of it. We're all just trying to get to retirement age before it runs out for all of us. And maybe I've got more luck than some, but there's always a limit."

"And you are concerned the confrontation with the krogan has reduced your supply?"

"Every time I go into a firefight I wonder how close I came. I came up against a reaper and lived. I died and was brought back. There can't be much left. And now I'm running headlong into another suicide mission, and I'm still taking chances like waking Grunt up, alone. Luck can't hold forever."

EDI was silent for a moment, probably processing the information. The hot chocolate was almost all finished, but Shepard didn't feel much better. In the past it had been her drink of choice for bad days. It calmed her down and made her feel warm. But her new digestive tract kept her from ingesting anything too hot or too cold, and so the hot chocolate only felt room temperature as it went down.

She chucked the rest away. "Are the cameras still on?"

"I am not allowed to answer that question Shepard."

"Of course not." She sighed and spun to face her computer properly. "Bring up the files on Haestrom."

"Shepard my recordings indicate you have now spent twenty hours and seventeen minutes awake. By the time we reach Haestrom if you still have not slept it will be twenty four hours and thirty two minutes since you have slept."

"I'm fine EDI."

A loud noise suddenly blared from the console and she jabbed the volume control. "Your standard reaction time has been tested at 152 milliseconds and improved to 135 milliseconds during the Lazarus project. You were not able to shut off the noise until 1.32 seconds. Sleep deprivation has had an adverse effect on your mental facilities."

"AIs setting off loud buzzers is having an adverse effect on my mental health," she ground out through her teeth. "Pull up the information on Haestrom and shut yourself off for the night."

"That is impossible Shepard. I am unable to cease functionality. The ship would crash as Mr Moreau is currently taking his rest period."

Shepard shut off her computer and stalked into the middle of the room. "Leave me alone EDI."

"I am detecting signs of stress. Are you sure you do not want me to contact Doctor Chakwas?"

"Leave me alone or I'll destroy your little console."

There was a long moment of silence, then EDI's sphere blinked off the console.

Shepard waited until she was sure the AI was gone, then walked back to the console and brought up the data on Haestrom again. If Tali was there, it had to be for something big.

* * *

><p>Four hours later the enormous star was pulsing at their shields. "That's not friendly," Joker said dryly as they came in towards the planet.<p>

EDI blinked on besides him. "Shepard, solar output has overwhelmed Haestrom's protective magnetosphere. Exposure to direct sunlight will damage your shields when you are planetside."

"Any danger to the Normandy?"

"We'll need a new paint job if we stay out here too long, but I can bring the Normandy in behind the planet's shadow and hang out while you look for Tali."

"Do we have a fix on Tali's location yet?"

"There is a deserted Quarian colony near the solar terminator. There are geth signals coming from several of the structures. The sun's radiation is blocking our sensors."

"Where there's smoke there's fire," Shepard muttered, pulling up the map of Haestrom. "Looks like there's a suitable landing point for the Kodiak about three klicks from the building with the strongest geth signature. Can you get us in close Joker? I don't want to leave the Kodiak out in that radiation longer than we have to."

"Please commander," Joker's hands were already flying across the console. "I could plant you in the dirt if I needed to."

* * *

><p>Down in the cargo bay something felt different to her. She didn't think the dinner had anything to do with it, but both Miranda and Jacob seemed to be uncomfortable. The soldier was compulsively checking and rechecking his weapon, far more than simple caution would suggest, and Miranda was staring off into space.<p>

She would deal with it later. She had asked Grunt to accompany them, and he was her main concern. The rest of the team were standing a good two feet away from the krogan as he pawed at his shotgun, and Shepard didn't like the way he kept sighting it at the walls. Hopefully once they were in battle he would be completely engaged against the geth, but if there were any friendly fire accidents she would just have to hope that the rest of them were able to put him down.

"The mission is simple," she said once Garrus had arrived. "Tali is somewhere on that planet. We want Tali. Standing between us and her are a couple of platoons of geth. Any questions?"

"What about the other quarians?" Garrus asked. "They wouldn't have sent her in alone."

"If we find other quarians we protect them and arrange for extraction if we can. But I'd guess they'll be sticking together.

Jack was next, which surprised her. "What do we do about the sun?"

"We stay out of it. Prolonged exposure will do a lot of damage to you. It'll bring our shields down in seconds, so make sure you stick to the shadows and move fast." She didn't have to mention Jack's exposed skin in the blazing sun, the biotic would already be well aware of it.

"So we know why the quarians are here?"

"If I know Tali it's some sort of scientific mission. But honestly I don't really care. There are geth on the ground, which can only mean trouble." She checked her HUD and saw the mission clock was counting down to the drop time. "Okay. Everyone into the Kodiak. Drop in ten."

They piled in, Grunt the last on, and she sent Joker the signal to prepare for them to disembark. _Hold on Tali. We're coming._

**AN:-** Shepard's comments about luck are very inspired by Wedge Antilles from the X-Wing Book series (I take a lot of inspiration from those books, particularly in the characterisation of Shepard) It's not that she's suicidal, but she's been pushed to the brink by everything that happened with Cerberus and how she feels she has no control anymore. She can't even control her own life and death, because they'd just bring her back. It's a pretty depressing situation to be in.


	22. Chapter 21: Haestrom

**AN:- **Time to get Tali!

**Chapter Twenty-One: Haestrom**

Haestrom was a bitter world. It felt dead, which was appropriate. A fine layer of ash covered everything, reminding Shepard of a picture she had once seen of Pompeii. That was pretty appropriate as well.

The squad spread out as they left the Kodiak, and Shepard noted that they went as far apart as they could while still pretending they were a team. She would take any attempt at teamwork she could get though, marching up to where the shade ended and the sunlight burned down.

Miranda was right behind her. "Be careful Shepard, remember what EDI said."

Shepard ignored her and stuck her hand out into the sunlight. Immediately her shield popped and overloaded, her suit's warning alerts flashing like crazy. She pulled her hand back and flexed it a few times, making sure there was no damage to the hardsuits flexibility. She turned back to the team. "We're going to have to move fast between shade," she said. "More than a few seconds and our shields will completely dissipate." She looked ahead at the cover available and the ground they needed to cover. Thankfully there seemed to be a lot of construction equipment scattered around, providing quite a bit of shade. "I'll go first, then we move one at a time."

She unslung her pistol and went up to the edge of the shade, taking a breath and judging the distance to a massive stone pillar before exploding forwards. Her shields popped and sparked but held long enough for her to get to cover. She flattened herself against the pillar and waited until her shields had recharged, then looked over to where her team was beginning to gather. "Miranda, you're next. To the pillar."

Miranda nodded, drew her SMG, and dashed from cover. She made it in seconds, her shield almost completely gone. Shepard didn't fancy trying to fight in this place now she saw just how fast the sun would kill them.

"Miranda, move to that shipping crate," she pointed out a box close to the far side of the courtyard. "Stay in cover." Miranda nodded and set off while Shepard turned back to the others. "Jack, you're next."

It took them several minutes before everyone was safely on the other side of the courtyard, but at least it had given Miranda time to unlock the gate to let them access the main compound. Inside there was a quarian slumped over a computer console, multiple breaches in his armour and blood everywhere. The computer was flashing an emergency log again and again, telling anyone who came to find Tali, and keep her safe. Shepard gritted her teeth and shut the log down. Less than five minutes in and already it was clear that everything had gone to crap.

As they stepped out to the next open courtyard a geth dropship swooped in above them. Assault rifle fire chattered and she looked back to see Grunt firing on the ship. "Hold your fire," she snapped, drawing her pistol. "Save your ammo for the geth."

As she had expected a dozen geth dropped from the ship and crashed into the dirt of Haestrom. They unfolded and moved into cover as her team raced forwards. She watched as a geth destroyer moved cleanly through the sunlight without a hint of discomfort. She grimaced at that and shot it in the faceplate. The geth shields might be affected by the sun, but their bodies were immune to its effects. Further down she could see half a dozen geth setting up in a thin corridor. It would be a chokepoint if her team tried to take it.

She scanned the battlefield and saw a bridge to the right, leading around the outside edge of the yard. She holstered her pistol and sprinted for it, hearing the pop of her shields the second she emerged into the sunlight. She threw herself round the corner and kept her head down as her shield recharged. A round split through a metal grille in front of her and she dragged the sniper rifle off her back, opening it and firing without aiming. Ahead of her the geth dropped behind cover, giving her enough time to cycle the heat sink. There was zero cover on her end of the bridge and the wall was too low for her to crouch. She commando-crawled forward a few feet, waiting until the very last second before fitting the scope to her eye and firing at the geth which popped out of cover. Its eye-piece exploded and she was able to cycle the action again.

Garrus' voice came over her comm system. "Shepard we're getting shredded down here."

"Fall back to cover." She checked her shields and saw that they were back at full charge. There were no geth ahead so she got to her knees and snapped her rifle into position, ignoring the alarm screaming in her ear as she found a geth prime in her sight and fired once, blasting a hole clean through its shoulder plate. She got back behind cover just as a geth shock trooper was climbing the bridge and opened fire on her. A shot went through her armour somewhere in the chest and she cursed, drawing her pistol left handed and firing blind.

There was a binary squeal from somewhere above her and she knew she had hit her target. Miranda was talking to her now. "…gone, but there's some holed up further ahead."

"Stay put," she said. "I'm moving to position. Garrus, get your sniper rifle ready."

"Understood Shepard."

She crawled along, ignoring the stinging pain coming from just below her ribs, and racked another heat sink into the sniper rifle. She made it to the end of the bridge and finally had enough cover to crouch, although she had to be careful of the geth picking at her position. She drew a grenade and primed it, counted to two and stepped out, throwing it overhand and ducking back before her shields failed again. There were only so many times kinetic barriers could be dropped and replenished before the internal generators gave out.

Two seconds later the grenade exploded and she leaned out with her sniper rifle, choosing the first shape through the smoke and firing at it. She drew her SMG even as the recoil was pushing her back and opened up, spraying an entire heat sinks worth of ammo into the cloud. When the dust finally settled there were geth parts everywhere and a big hole where there had been a narrow corridor. "Alright people," Shepard said, reloading and leaning against the wall. "Move up."

Once they got inside the corridor she heard a noise from around the corner. "Miranda, secure the area. Grunt, Jack, Zaeed, scout on ahead."

She hurried forwards to where a radio was blinking next to a dead quarian. She was a little surprised to see such antiquated technology, but then it was a quarian operation, and perhaps the suns radiation would interfere with more advanced forms of communication.

"Op 1 this is squad leader Kal'Reegar come in over!"

She knelt and grabbed the receiver. "This is Commander Shepard of the Normandy, can we provide assistance?"

"Patch your radio in to channel 617 theta." She did so. "We're on a stealth mission. High risk. We found what we were after, but the geth found us. They got us pinned down." She heard gunfire. "Can't get to our ship, can't transmit data through the solar radiation."

"How are you holding up? We can be there in a few minutes."

"Take it slow and careful. Direct sunlight fries your shields all to hell. We're hunkered down at a base camp across the valley, I left Tali'Zorah in a secure shelter, then doubled back to hold the chokepoint. Getting Tali out safely is our top priority; if you can extract her we'll keep 'em off you."

"You've got confirmation that the geth haven't reached Tali yet?" her heart jumped a little, but she kept her tone level.

"Affirmative, I left my best men with her."

"Hold position. We'll hit their back ranks."

From ahead she heard Zaeed yelling. "Dropship incoming!"

"Move it people, time to punch a hole."

Thankfully, the area ahead had much more cover. She left her team to do their thing while she went high, finding Garrus already on top of another bridge which spanned the yard. "See you had the same idea Commander," he said as he took aim on a geth sniper.

"We do our best work from up high."

"I remember the last time."

"I remember winning that competition."

"I've had a bit more practice since then Shepard."

She turned to grin at him, firing at the same time. Her round sparked clean through a geth trooper, then ricocheted off a metal tanker and blew the arm off a second geth armed with a rocket launcher.

"Maybe I've a little more practice to do," he said with his usual smile. She cycled the action and put the rifle back. There were still a couple of geth around, but there were more than enough guns in play to deal with the stragglers.

Looking over to the door she grimaced as she saw a massive stone slab that had fallen in front of it. "We're going to need to shift that," Garrus remarked.

"Thanks for the input. Any idea how?"

"There's a lot of mining equipment around here. Maybe the quarians have some demolition charges? You do so enjoy blowing things up."

"How are things down there Miranda?" She asked.

"All clear down here, but there's some strange readings from ahead."

Shepard switched to the squad channel. "We need to find demolition charges. Everyone spread out and search."

As the rest of the team went to search through crates, Shepard went to a computer terminal that had caught her eye. Sure enough as she stepped in front of it she could see Tali's face looking out at her. It seemed to be a log of some kind. She ran it and watched as Tali recounted the story of blowing through some debris using a mining laser. That brought a smile to Shepard's face.

"She's grown up." Garrus was right behind her. She closed the log and turned to him.

"She always had to."

"You helped. You helped all of us grow up."

"Sometimes I think it would have been better if I'd let you all live your lives."

"The Reapers would still be coming Shepard, whether we knew about them or not."

"Fair point."

The team members were coming back now, Grunt holding an armful of explosives.

"That should be more than we need," Shepard said as he laid them at the base of the pillar. "Everyone get back."

Once she was sure everyone was in cover she activated her omni tool and sent a charge to the explosives, bracing herself against the massive shockwave that rolled over them. They pushed forwards and found another cave, this one with dead quarians scattered everywhere.

"It must have been a massacre," Zaeed said, kicking one of the bodies onto its back. "Poor bastards didn't stand a chance."

Shepard ignored him, going to another journal she could see. Tali talking about how her ancestors had walked the halls with uncovered heads. "It's amazing," the journal finished. "I wish my friends could see it. I wish Shepard were here."

Jacob's voice broke into her reverie. "This door's been sealed. No way we're getting through it."

"Are there any explosives left?"

"I think we used them all on the door."

"Grunt, go check again. Everyone else, I guess now's as good a time as any to take a break."

Just as they were settling down the console next to the door sprang to life, Tali's voice coming through the broken speaker. "Hello? Is anyone there?"

Shepard raced the console and slammed it on. "Tali, it's Shepard. I'm sorry, everyone here is dead, any survivors must have fallen back."

"We knew this mission was high risk, dammit." Tali looked away for a moment, then back to the screen. "What are you doing here? Shepard. We're in the middle of geth space"

Shepard grinned. Despite everything it was good to hear the young quarian's voice. "I was in the neighbourhood, thought you might need a hand."

"Thanks for coming Shepard, it means a lot to hear your voice. Kal'Reegar and what's left of the marines got me into the observatory. From where you are it's through the door and across the field. I got the data I needed and I'm safe for now but I've got a lot of geth outside."

"It looks like somebody sealed the door against the geth the consoles damaged, can you get it open on your end?"

"Let me see, yes I can do it here." The panel light blinked green. "Should be unlocked now. Be careful Shepard, please, do what you can to keep Reeger alive."

The connection shut down, Shepard led her team through to the field, where a dozen pillars provided cover against the sun. Before they could get too comfortable a flock of geth drones swarmed them. There was a geth prime controlling them, staying out of danger behind a stone slab. Shepard unslung her SMG. "Zaeed, Jacob, with me."

The two men in tow, Shepard made her way around the edge of the field, dashing from cover to cover to flank the prime. She sent Zaeed in to flush it out while she and Jacob took it down. With the prime gone the drones shut down and collapsed to the dirt.

"Right," Shepard barked. "Move out."

From just ahead they could hear the roar of a rocket launcher and the chatter of dozens of automatic weapons. "That has to be Reegar and his men," Garrus said. "They need help."

They raced round the corner to see a lone quarian crouched behind a low wall, reloading a missile launcher. There was no time to take in any more details before a bolt of electric energy exploded against the wall next to them. The entire team dropped to the floor, and Shepard heard the quarian chuckle at them. "Squad leader Kal'Reegar, Migrant Fleet marines, we talked on the radio before that dropship arrived. I've still got no idea why you're here, this ain't the time to be picky. Tali's inside over there." He nodded towards a stronghold at the other end of the field. "Geth killed the rest of my squad and they're trying to get to her, best I've been able to do is draw their attention."

Shepard crawled over to him and got to her knees. She looked down at the missile launcher in his hands and winced as the new computer chips in her head told her it was an ML-77 Missile Launcher with a Velocity Enhancing Recoil Adapter.

"Are you sure Tali's still alive?" She asked.

He nodded. "The observatory is reinforced. Even the geth will need time to get through it." He stood and fired a rocket over the top again. "Heh, and it's hard to hack a door when someone's firing rockets at you. The geth are near platoon strength, but the colossus is the worst part. It's got a repair protocol, huddles up and fixes itself. I can't get a clear shot when it's down like that. It tried to move in closer, and one of the bastards punched a shot clean through my suit."

She growled and risked a quick look over the top. There were geth everywhere. "We need to get to Tali. got any ideas?"

"Just one. I'm not moving so well but I can still pull a trigger, and I've got a rocket launcher that the sun hasn't fried yet. You move in close, I'll keep the colossus busy. With luck, you'll be able to finish it off."

"You've done enough reeger, you don't need to throw your life away."

"Wasn't asking your permission, my job is to keep Tali safe. This is our best shot."

He went to fire again, but she grabbed him and slammed him against the wall. "We don't have enough people on our side for you to take one for the team," she snapped. "Stand down."

"I'm not gonna stand there while you run into enemy fire. They killed my whole squad."

"And if you want to honour your squad," she forced herself to calm down. "Watch my back. I need you here in case they bring reinforcements."

"All right Shepard, we'll do it your way."

"Grunt, take the launcher, give Reegar your rifle."

The krogan snarled, but handed off his machine gun anyway. "What now human?"

"We're going skeet shooting," Shepard said with a grin. "Everyone, form up here and keep those geth busy. We're going up over that bridge to the sniper post along the way. Grunt, you should have a clear shot from there right onto the colossus' head."

"I like the way you think Shepard."

"I don't," Miranda said. "You'll be exposed to a lot of fire up there Shepard. There's not a lot of cover."

"That's why your job is to keep their attention here. Make sure the majority of them are occupied and we should have a shot."

Miranda nodded. "Understood."

"Come on Grunt."

They burst from cover and crossed the short distance through the sunlight and up to the bridge, where they promptly dropped to the floor and started crawling. Below she could hear the crack of Garrus' sniper rifle and the chatter of the other's firing on the geth. She would just have to hope it was enough.

They had made it halfway across the bridge when two geth came up from below, plasma rifles spraying fire over them. Shepard drew her pistol and fired while prone, scoring two hits on one geth and one on its partner. The robots retreated and they were able to move forward as she reloaded. Soon enough four geth were on them, and she was forced to crouch and take the sun's rays for several seconds as she squeezed off a succession of headshots, capping the four of them.

"Nice shooting," Grunt said as she got back down and started to crawl again.

"Thanks."

They hurried on to the sniper post, crouching down behind the low stone wall and catching their breath. Shepard opened up her sniper rifle and loaded an armour piercing round into it. "I'll open it up and give you a shot. We've only got one shot at this Grunt, make it count."

He only grunted in response. She took that as readiness and stood, swinging the rifle round and sighting easily on the head of the gigantic machine. She fired and ducked immediately down again as Grunt stood, the missile launcher snug against his shoulder. He fired the moment he was fully upright and ducked back down again.

"Did you hit it?" She asked.

There was a massive explosion behind them and a wave of debris crashed over them. "Never mind." She switched on the comm again. "What's the situation?"

"Only a couple left," Miranda came back. "Nothing to worry about."

"Grunt, go help the others, I'm going to get Tali."

As he stomped back across the bridge she swung herself over the edge and dropped down to the floor, staggering a little as she landed. She ran to the door of the observatory, but before she could even knock it opened.

"Just let me finish this download."

She stopped dead. She hadn't expected hearing Tali's voice again would shock her so much, but she couldn't help it. She rushed forwards just as Tali was turning, and the two of them grabbed for each other, hugging right there in the middle of the control room.

"Thank you Shepard. If not for you, I would never have made it out of this room." They stepped back and she shook her head. "This whole mission has been a disaster. I wish I'd joined you back on Freedom's Progress, but I couldn't let anyone take my place on something this risky,"

"Were the deaths worth it? What were you even looking for here?"

"I hope so. We were looking for data of Haestrom's sun. It shouldn't be dying as quickly as it is. Something is wrong with the dark energy signature. But I can't imagine it…" She flexed her fingers and shrugged helplessly. "It must be worth it. The admiralty wouldn't have sent us here otherwise."

"Whatever the reason I'm glad I could help. Once you deliver that data, I could use you on the Normandy."

"I promised to see this mission through, and I did. I can leave with you and send the data to the fleet. And if the admirals' have a problem with it they can go to hell. I just watched the rest of my team die."

Shepard recognised the defeat in Tali's voice. She wanted to tell her that even if it didn't feel like it now, it would get better in time. But she knew that there was no point in doing that here, with the bodies of her team still out there.

She was spared the trouble when a voice came from behind them. "Maybe not the whole rest of your team ma'am."

"Reeger, you made it."

"Your old captain's as good as you said," he nodded to Shepard. "Damn colossus never stood a chance."

"If need be the Normandy can get you out of here," she told the marine.

"The geth didn't damage our ship, long as we can get out of here before reinforcements show up we'll be fine."

"Actually," Tali looked to Shepard. "I won't be going with you, I'm joining Commander Shepard."

He nodded as if he had already known that. "I'll pass the data to the admiralty board and let them know what happened. She's all yours now Shepard, keep her safe."

"Of course."

**AN:-** I love Tali, I really do.

Specifically tried to give Grunt and Zaeed some lines in this one. And also actually give them things to do.

I made up the Velocity Enhancing Recoil Adapter just for the sake of the cheap pun. I hope no one minds.


	23. Chapter 22: Loose Ends

**AN:- **Sorry for holding off on this one. I had it finished about a month ago but I wanted to lengthen it. In the end I couldn't find a way to make it any longer, so the next one will probably be extra long.

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Loose Ends**

Tali was examining the inside of the comm room while Jacob talked. "Cerberus saw footage of you in action Tali'Zorah, we're looking forward to having you on the team. Your engineering expertise will really benefit the mission."

"I don't know who you are, but Cerberus threatened the security of the Migrant Fleet. Don't make nice."

Shepard leaned against the table. "That's why you're here Tail. I need people who aren't Cerberus. People I can trust."

"I wasn't part of what happened to the Migrant Fleet." Jacob wasn't helping. "But I understand your distrust. I hope we'll get past that as we work together."

Tali looked to her. "I assumed you were undercover Shepard. Maybe even planing to blow Cerberus up." Shepard kept her face carefully neutral. The thought had occurred, but she wasn't going to say anything with Jacob in the room. "If that's the case I'll loan you the grenade. Otherwise I'm here for you, not them. "

"If it helps, check out the Normandy while you're here. We've gotten a few upgrades."

"I'll get Tali'Zorah the necessary clearance to access our systems."

Tali cocked her head to one side. Shepard suppressed a smirk. She recognised Tali's sarcastic voice. "Please do, I can't be part of your team if I don't know how the ship works." She looked back to Shepard. "Remember Shepard, these people thought enslaving thorian creepers and rachni was a good idea. I'll be in engineering."

"I haven't forgotten Tali," she said quietly as the quarian left, but she didn't know if Tali heard.

Miranda swept into the room. "Is she going to be a problem?"

"Not as long as I'm here."

"That's good. I'm here because Jack's causing problems down in engineering."

"Problems?"

"Apparently she's smashed some lights and cracked a few bulkheads. She's just sitting down there now. I've evacuated Mr Donnelly and Ms Daniels for the time being, but it would be nice if we could get our engineering section back to standard."

"I'll look into it Miranda. Just keep everyone out until I'm done."

"Should I have Doctor Chakwas on call?"

Shepard shook her head. "If Jack gets out of hand I can handle her."

"If you're sure."

"You'd better get back to work. We'll be shipping out to the next name on the dossier as soon as I've sorted this Jack situation."

"Jack?"

* * *

><p>It was nearly pitch black in the cubby-hole under the engineering deck. Shepard waited at the bottom of the stairs, wary that she might spook Jack into doing something stupid.<p>

"I got thoughts," the voice came from underneath the table. "Like little bugs crawling in and out of my head. I can't stop them." She emerged from under the table, a dark shape silhouetted by the red emergency lights. " You know I have a history with Cerberus. You know how far back it goes?"

"I'll listen to anything you have to say."

"Your pal, the Illusive Man. Never seen him before, but Cerberus raised me. First thing I remember is my cell door in a Cerberus base." Shepard gritted her teeth and took a step deeper in. She should have known that Cerberus would have had a hand in something so sick. "They did experiments, drugged me, tortured me. Whatever chance I had to be normal, they stole it by trying to turn me into some super biotic. The doctors, the other kids, every one of them hated me. They let me suffer."

_This is going to go badly, I just known it. _"You're absolutely certain that Cerberus was running the facility?"

She had expected an explosion from the biotic, but instead she came closer and nodded. "I was a kid but I wasn't dumb. I know how to listen. It was Cerberus. Don't care how far down the chain it was. They thought they were so clever." Shepard could see her face now, and her expression wasn't anger, it was determination. "Turns out, mess with someone's head enough, you can turn a scared little kid into an all-powerful bitch. Fucking idiots."

"I'm going to talk to the Illusive Man." She was finding it hard to keep a check on her own anger as the full enormity of what had been done hit her. "And he'd better have some answers."

"He'll just deny everything. That's not what I'm after anyway." They were close enough now that Shepard could see that Jack's eyes were bloodshot. She had been crying. "I found the coordinates in your files. I want to go to the Teltin facility on Pragia, where they tortured and drugged me. I want to go to the centre of the place, my cell, I want to deploy a big fucking bomb. And I want to watch from orbit when it goes."

Shepard examined her closely. This wasn't rage, at least not in the way Jack usually showed it. There was tranquillity in her. "As soon as I can, we'll go to Pragia. Put this right."

"Thank you Shepard."

Jack turned and disappeared back into the shadows.

* * *

><p>As she was walking back to the CIC Kelly turned to smile at her. She smiled back, but she could already tell that something else was up. "I feel like there's something you need to tell me."<p>

"Jacob wants to talk to you."

"Of course he does. Did he say why?"

"No, but he did seem a little distressed. It must be something really bad to make him act like that."

"I'll look into it." She was about to walk back when a thought occurred to her. She turned back. "Kelly?"

"Yes Shepard?"

"Has Miranda said anything to you about anything?"

"How delightfully vague," Kelly smiled. "But Miranda doesn't really talk to me. I don't think she likes me very much."

"Okay. Never mind. I'll talk to Jacob."

* * *

><p>Ten minutes later she was starting to get more than a little concerned about her crew. On the surface they had all been fully checked and tested by the Illusive Man to make sure they were stable and ready for this mission, but now she wasn't so sure. Yes Jack would always have been a loose cannon but it was clear that she was far more broken than even Shepard would have guessed. And now Jacob had this hanging over him. He might have claimed to have made peace with it but she knew how much unresolved issues could eat at a person. She had 'made peace' with Akuze in much the same way until Tombes showed up alive and well.<p>

Jack, Jacob, she knew something was wrong with Garrus, even if he wouldn't talk about it. Miranda was acting fidgety and Zaeed and Kasumi had both mentioned their own problems as well. All of a sudden she had gone from a crew of unwilling but stable professionals to a time bomb of emotional baggage and buried issues.

_Not that you__'re any better of course._

She went down to see Miranda next, hoping against hope it was nothing more than nerves she had seen earlier.

Miranda looked up as she came in. "Shepard." Straight away she knew it wasn't nothing. "I find myself in the unpleasant position of asking for your help. I don't like discussing personal matters, but this is important."

"Miranda, you're one of my crew." She settled herself in the chair across the desk. "Tell me what's on your mind."

Miranda stood and started to pace, which made Shepard nervous. Miranda didn't pace. Pacing was a sign of worry, and Miranda didn't get worried. "You remember what I told you about father building a dynasty? There was another reason I went to Cerberus for protection. I have a sister, a twin, and he's still hunting her. Cerberus has kept her safe until now. She's living a normal life on Illium, safe and hidden from my father."

"So you think your father's tracked her down."

Miranda walked to the window and leaned against it, looking out at the stars for a moment before turning back. "Precisely Commander. My sources indicate he knows that she's on Illium. I've tried to keep her hidden without impacting her life but I'm out of options, he's too close. I need to relocate my sister's family before it's too late."

"What do you need me to do?"

"My father is extremely persistent. I'd like to go to Illium. Cerberus is moving the family to make sure none of his agents get too close. My contact's name is Lanteia, she'll be waiting for us in the lounge near the Nos Astra docking bay."

"What's the time limit on this?"

"The operation goes ahead in a week. Eight standard days to be precise."

"We'll be there in time. Jacob came to me with a mission of his own, but I'm hoping it won't take more than a day. After that we'll burn hard to Illium. Sounds good?"

"Of course Shepard. And thank you."

"You're on my crew," she said simply, standing and leaving.

* * *

><p>"How's it going captain?" Garrus was waiting for her by the kitchen as she emerged from Miranda's room.<p>

"Turns out the crew are a bag of cats."

"Bag of… cats?"

"Sorry, I've been watching old Earth movies again. Turns out everyone has a lot of personal problems I'm going to need to sort out before we all kill each other."

"I'm sure you'll make your way through it with the usual Shepard panache and charm."

"Frankly Garrus I feel more like joining you in the crazy this time around."

"Us? You're going to lump me in with the rest of them?"

"You're hiding something. I don't know what, yet, but I'll find out." She sighed and looked away from him, not wanting another argument. "I'm going to bed. Maybe I can even sleep this time."

"Actually I have a message from Chakwas for you. She's says you're to start taking sleeping medication, at least once every forty-eight hours." He held up a little bottle like the one Chakwas had given her before.

"She told you about me?"

"I went to her with my concerns first. We've been plotting."

"So this is an ambush."

"Not if you agree to take this without a fight."

"And if I don't agree?"

"That's why I'm here and not the good doctor. We thought I would have a better chance of force-feeding it to you."

"I'd put you through the bulkhead if you even tried it."

"Commander please try and understand that I am worried about you. So is Doctor Chakwas. So is Joker for that matter. We are your friends after all."

She glared at him, but snatched the bottle out of his claw anyway. "You can assure the good doctor I will take her medication."

"You might want this as well." He held out a small black disk that looked like a communication disk.

"What's that?"

"I've been tinkering on it for a while. It should block any intrusive signals. It won't work permanently. I'm sure sooner or later Miranda will find a way to transmit a signal through the jamming field. But for tonight…"

She took it, feeling a little more grateful. "Thank you Garrus."

"Just remember Shepard, even if no one else does, I've always got your back."

"We have a new mission. Aeia. Jacob's father may be there. Or at least the ship he was wrecked on. Two days out."

"I'll prepare the guns."

"Some calibrations to do?"

He only smiled in response.

**AN:- **So much to talk about:

More time with Tali next chapter. I was thinking about putting a bit with her on the end of this chapter, but since she had only just arrived I thought Shepard would leave her to rest before talking to her. As things are I couldn't think of any way that it wouldn't turn into an argument between the two of them.

I never liked the paragon response Shepard makes to Jack. It's just too bland. 'He'd better have answers'? It just doesn't feel right unless Shepard is restraining some truly monumental fury at what she's hearing.

'You're on my crew.' My writing of Shepard, as I've said before, takes inspiration from other well known captains, like Wedge Antilles and Malcolm Reynolds.

'Bag of cats.' Avengers. 'That guy's brain is a bag full of cats, you can _smell _crazy on him.' I loved the quote too much to not make reference to it. And also bringing up Shepard's love for old Earth movies again. For more examples see my novelisation of Bring Down the Sky.

The final scene with Garrus and Shepard is one I wasn't so sure of. But I do think Garrus would go to Chakwas when he was so concerned for Shepard, and he must know that she's not sleeping. When he then talks to Chakwas the good doctor seizes her opportunity to help. Until Tali joins, there's only been four of the original crew and they're all under heavy surveillance. It's finally starting to feel like they might not be quite so badly outnumbered.


	24. Chapter 23: The Gift of Greatness

**AN:- **Came close to splitting this in two, but decided on extra long instead.

**Chapter Twenty-Three: The Gift of Greatness**

"Alright people, this mission is volunteer only. If you don't want to help out I will not hold it against you."

"I don't remember being allowed to volunteer before commander," Garrus said from his position against the bulkhead. "What's the catch?"

She had already asked Jacob how much she could share. He said he didn't care at all, but that didn't mean she was just going to share everything. "This mission is a personal one for a member of the crew."

"Who?" Miranda was at the head of the briefing room table with her. "We don't have time to be running personal errands Shepard."

"Well we're en route to Ilium to chase down a potential mission, but on the way we need to make a stop in (NAME). It shouldn't take us more than a day or so out of our way." Miranda quited down quickly at that. "A ship went down in this system nearly ten years ago. The Hugo Gernsback. Possibly all of them crew are already dead, but the emergency beacon activated recently, which suggests that someone's alive down there."

"Dunno why you're expecting me to go on a mission you're not paying me for," Zaeed pushed off from the wall and headed straight for the door. "Talk to me when it's something important."

"Anyone else want to leave?" Shepard asked quietly.

"Which member of the crew is it?" Kasumi asked.

Jacob spoke up, leaning against the desk and keeping his eyes fixed on a point somewhere in the middle distance. "It's me."

"I'm in."

"So am I," Garrus said from the wall. "Can't let Shepard go in with only a thief and Cerberus operative, no offence."

"None taken."

"You're all a bunch of idiots," Jack said. "Count me out."

"You sure you don't want to build some good will Jack?" Shepard asked before she could leave. "In case you might need a little firepower on your side sometime in the future?"

Jack froze, and when she turned to look t Shepard her eyes blazed. "Fine, I'm in."

"Grunt?"

"I yearn only for blood Shepard." The krogan had an entire side of the table to himself, hulking over it and switching from face to face like a cornered rabbit. "If there is combat I will go."

"The crew could be in danger, but I can't promise it."

"Danger, I like the sound of that. I will come."

"Tali?"

The quarian gave an extravagant sigh. "I'm with you Shepard. You already know that."

"Mordin, I'd prefer for you to stay here and keep working on finding ways to repel Reaper technology if you don't mind. I don't think your skills would be completely suited to this mission anyway."

"Understood Shepard, happy to continue research. Call me if you need me."

"Alright then. We're making planet fall within the hour. I'm not expecting resistance, but something happened to keep them from firing the emergency beacon."

As the others filed out Miranda hung back. "You didn't ask me if I wanted to go?"

"I guessed. I'd hardly be going anywhere without my shadow would I?"

Miranda glared at her, but it seemed to be more good natured than angry.

_Finally,_ Shepard watched the operative leave. _Progress._

* * *

><p>Aeia was actually quite a nice planet. Certainly nicer than Haestrom. Shepard could hear water and felt a cool breeze on her skin. She retracted her helmet for a better view and made her way down onto the grass, heading for the beacon. The air was earth normal, or close enough, and the flora even looked somewhat similar to earth. She almost regretted leaving Mordin back on the ship, she had a feeling he would have loved to have seen the biosphere.<p>

Then again, mission, possible bad guys. Not much time for sightseeing.

She had sent Grunt on with Jacob to scout ahead, anxious to try and burn off some of the krogan's energy. He had been restless since the moment she opened his pod. Garrus and Kasumi were backing them up, while Tali and Miranda held back with her. It almost felt like old times. A krogan ahead, Tali at her side and Garrus with his sniper rifle sweeping from side to side. If she ignored everything to the right of her vision it could have been her old team.

Jacob signalled her and she opened the comm channel. "Jacob?"

"It's ahead, and mostly intact. They could have survived impact, but it's been years."

"Jacob, is there a way into the ship you can see?"

"Looks like a bridge. The beacon's right next to it."

"Grunt, move up and secure that bridge, Garrus, support him. Kasumi and Miranda see if there's a path ahead of us. Tali, you're with me."

The team split into groups while Shepard waited at the turn. The ship was ahead, rising out of the ocean. Grunt went right to the end of the bridge, sweeping his rifle across. "Clear," he grunted.

"Clear ahead as well," Miranda told her. "There's a path here, and it looks like there's more debris up ahead. I don't think this is random. Maybe the survivors followed this path?"

Jacob couldn't take his eyes off the _Gernsback. _"Looks like the ship was stripped after the crash. They'd have tried to get a beacon up as soon as possible."

"Assuming it was working," Shepard said.

"Why would it take ten years to repair a beacon?"

"Good question." She walked up to the bridge as well, noticing a computer set to the side of the slab of metal. "Crew log?"

Jacob nodded. "It's mostly destroyed. Something about survivors, but the guy who made this was worried about them."

"Worried how?"

"Didn't say. But he said he was worried about what they were doing to the survivors."

"Please tell me 'they' is code for natives."

Jacob shook his head. "Sounds more like the other crew were in on it."

"Tali, search the ship. Any other crew logs you can dig up, I wanna hear them."

Five minutes later Shepard had moved from suspicious to concerned. A survivor's log wondering what the harm was in survivor's with an odd look when they smiled, an apparent field promotion, but doubt surrounding the new commander, and someone who seemed to have been losing her mind. How many of the survivors had suffered from some sort of instability in the ten years since they crashed?

She triggered the VI program on the beacon, hoping it would have some answers.

"From the look of it this beacon's been here a while." Tali said. "Why wild they wait years to signal?"

"Pause in beacon protocol. Eight years 237 days seven hours pause is recorded as record deleted by acting captain Ronald Taylor."

Jacob stepped next to her, shaking his head. "That's not right, my father was first officer."

"Ronald Taylor was promoted under emergency command protocols. Other flagged issues, unsafe deceleration, local food and neural decay, beacon activation protocols. "

_That explains the logs. _"Local food impairs brain functions what are the effects?"

"Impairment of mental function due to chemical imbalance begins within seven days of ingesting local flora regardless of decontamination or preparation. Impact on higher cognitive ability and long term memory is cumulative but significant within a standard month. It is not known if neural decay is permanent. Data collection was not completed."

"We have to move," Shepard said. "If there are still any survivors left we have to get them medical attention as soon as possible."

Her comm buzzed. "Shepard," it was Miranda. "We have contact. Human."

Shepard raced away from the VI, leaving Jacob behind asking it questions about his father. She found Kasumi and Miranda trying to comfort a female survivor who was babbling uncontrollably.

"You came from the sky, the leader said someone would come. He delayed for so long but he still has power." She met Shepard's eyes and Shepard saw an almost childlike innocence in them. "Some have lost faith, the hunters. They will have seen your star, they will not let you help him."

Shepard was suddenly and painfully reminded of Talitha. "What are you talking about? You're not making sense."

She hung her head and Shepard felt awful. "I don't remember how to say it. He's our leader and we serve so we can go home. But some wanna fight him. They were cast out. He exiled them so they hunt his machines and those who help him, they believe…"

Out of the corner of her eye she saw the flash even as Miranda was yelling something. She dived into the girl, knocking her to the floor. They were shielded by an engine component, but it was full of holes. Shepard rolled over to shield the girl with her body while her team moved forwards, assault rifles blazing. She could hear Grunt laughing as he raced forwards.

The girl in her arms was still babbling. "Hunters, they won't stop until the leader is dead."

Shepard pushed up, leaving her behind. The girl was rocking back and forth, gripping her head in her hands. "Come on. Time to find out what's going on here."

They followed the path the survivors must have taken ten years before, Grunt and Jacob in the lead again. Shepard kept them running until they saw a collection of humans ahead.

"Is that a settlement?" Jacob asked. "They'd better be friendlier than the beach group, I need answers."

They slowed as they came to the edge of the group, Shepard trying to look as non-threatening as she could while accompanied by a krogan and wearing combat armour.

Miranda joined her. "They're from the same group as the ones that attacked us, but these are docile."

"There aren't any men here," Shepard said, hoping that didn't mean what she thought it meant. "Maybe it affects genders differently, makes males get violent? "

Miranda shrugged. "Possibly, but the female on the beach said the exiled ones came back as hunters."

Jacob was at her other side. "It doesn't matter right now, one of these people must know what my father has to do with this."

A woman came up to them, staring at Jacob. "You have his face, he promised to call the sky but he sends nothing."

Another woman came over. Several others started to gather close. Grunt growled at them and they clustered instead to the humans. "He forced us to eat, to decay. You are cursed with his face."

"Not the best reaction to the family resemblance Jacob," Miranda deadpanned.

"Why would my father force his crew to eat toxic food?"

"Whatever happening here needs to stop," Shepard said, pushing through the crowd. "Come on."

They moved less than two feet before a bullet pinged into the dirt near their feet. The women screamed and scattered, giving Grunt a clean space to open fire, knocking two of the three mechs down immediately. Garrus took the third with a single pistol shot.

Garrus grunted as he put his pistol back. "His mechs shoot without question, not exactly a long term discipline solution."

"Well that would make them hate him, or maybe it was just for defence." Shepard thought Jacob was being a little too trusting, but one look at his face told her he knew what the real reason was.

A woman stopped them at the outer edge of the camp. She seemed more lucid than the others. "You have his face, but you fight his machines. You might stop this." Shepard recognised the voice as the doctor from the recording on the ship. The doctor who couldn't even remember her own children. She held out a data pad. "This, I forget how to read. But this was the start. What he promised and what they did to us. We need the sky, take us back to the sky."

Jacob was reading the data, his brow furrowed. "Jacob," he looked up. "What does it say?"

"It's a crew log book. Some of them thought the beacon repair was taking too long, they were afraid they'd run out of supplies and lose their minds to the decay. My father restricted the ship food for himself and the other officers so they wouldn't be affected, everybody else had to eat the toxic food and hope for treatment later." Shepard kept her expression neutral, but the evidence was mounting up by the second. "The rest is a casualty list. A few mutinied over the decision. My Father and the officers turned the mechs on them."

"He wasn't command material," Shepard said quietly. "And it got to him. Couldn't keep the crew in line without violence."

"It didn't stop there." _It never does. Ten years is a long time._ "More incidents, harsh punishment. It's like they're cattle, or toys. In a year all the male crew members were flagged as exiled or dead. They separated out the women, assigned them to officers like pets. And after the beacon is fixed the officers appear in the causalities too. After." The bitterness in Jacob's voice shocked her. "My father took control and didn't stop it."

"Do you see any explanation for this?" _Beyond the obvious._ "He's your father."

"Is he? None of it fits. Maybe the initial decisions but the rest? Abuse of power doesn't get any clearer than this." He handed the data pad off to Kasumi, who was at his side. "I need to find this man."

"The path ahead is blocked," Garrus said. "Need to clear that first."

Shepard sighed. "Grab some of those mechs, bring them over here and pile them by those crates. Then I need Kasumi and Tali to pop the safeties on their circuitry. One good shot will blow the whole pile.

It took less than a minute to sort out and the path was cleared again. Before they could move on the radio crackled to life. "This is Captain Ronald Taylor. Thank God you're here. My crew went insane, I only just got free."

"Goddammit," Jacob drew his assault rifle. "It's really him. Just got free, he's covering his ass."

Taylor continued to talk at them as they entered an open area littered with rubble and were confronted by a dozen LOKI mechs. Shepard dropped and rolled behind a rock to let Grunt and Jacob move up. Grunt roared with the challenge of battle but it was Jacob who exploded forwards, rifle blazing and a pistol in his other hand, popping heads of LOKI mechs with every shot.

"Nice shooting," Kasumi said as the rest of the team followed him, but he was already in motion, running back the way the mechs had come.

"Stay with him," Shepard yelled, hauling her rifle off her back and sprinting after him. It was only a short dash to another clearing, huge pieces of scrap metal buried deep in the ground. Half a dozen men were rushing them, firing pistols. "Don't kill them," Shepard shouted, stopping Grunt a second before he opened fire. "They're just as confused as the women."

She matched actions to words, blasting one of the men in the kneecap before clubbing another in the face with the butt of her rifle. It was confused and too cramped for her to find a real strategy. Thankfully there weren't many of them, and they had no organisation.

Once the last of the men collapsed to the floor she turned to Jacob, who was pointing ahead to a sealed gate.

"Tali, Kasumi?"

The two hackers moved into place, Tali engaging her omni-tool while Kasumi got to work on the mechanism of the door. The team crowded round the door and waited, Jacob staring straight ahead, completely still.

Just as the door creaking partway open a rocket exploded against the metal. Everyone dived for cover a a YMIR mech came into view, its machine gun slowly cycling up. Thankfully it was clearly old, and its targeting system didn't seem to be fully functional. It sprayed their cover, but missed hitting Grunt, who was almost entirely exposed as he struggled to hide behind a shuttle-craft wing.

Shepard unfolded her rifle and programmed it for armour piercing slugs, activating her helmet and watching for the tell-tale flare of Miranda and Jack's biotic attacks. Hopefully the mechs shields weren't functioning, but she wasn't going to fire until she was sure. She leaned out from behind her cover and watched as dual biotic pulses slammed into the mech, sending it staggering back. There was no flicker of shields so she stepped out from her cover and fired, aiming for the eyepiece. A second shot to her left told her that Garrus was firing as well, and both shots sparked off the thing's visor, blowing away the armour plating covering the sensitive electronics.

Before Shepard could cycle her rifle Jacob burst from cover, sprinting straight for the mech and drawing his submachine gun. He jumped just before he reached it, using one leg as a springboard and launching himself up to land on the YMIR's shoulders, jamming the submachine gun into the exposed neck hole and firing until it was empty. As the mech toppled he leapt off and rolled away behind cover just before it blew, sending shrapnel everywhere.

"Come on," Shepard said, getting to her feet and staggering towards the gate. "This needs to end."

Through the gates she could see a man, standing and looking out at the sea, surrounded by scrap metal.

"You're here. I knew a real squad would blow through just fine." She gritted her teeth and walked forwards, seeing Jacob out of the corner of her eye. "Sorry if the mechs scuffed your pads. I'll get you something nice when we get back to Alliance space. I've got to have some back pay coming." She walked right past him, leaning against the metal barrier and watched the clouds scud across the sky.

"What about your crew, Acting Captain?" Jacob spat the words.

Captain Taylor didn't notice any resemblance, still putting on his 'worried survivor' tone. "Total Loss. The toxic food turned them wild. They propped me up here in some kind of ritual behaviour. Waiting for a chance to signal has been hell."

"That's the best you can do?"

"You let all your people talk back like that?" She turned to face him, retracting her helmet at the same time. "Who are you exactly?"

"Commander Shepard of the Normandy. I believe you are acquainted with Mr Taylor."

He spun back to his son. "Taylor? Jacob?" he shook his head, backing away towards her. "No, not Jacob."

"Why not me? Would ten years of this look better to anyone else in the galaxy?"

"You have to understand, this isn't me. The realities of command, they change you." It was a speech she had heard before, and not one she wanted to hear again. "I wasn't ready for that. I made sure you were taught right, before I left. I hoped to leave it at that."

"I'm not unreasonable captain, but ten years?" She held out her hands, "What happened?"

Jacob stepped right up next to his father. "Goddammit, why did you do this to your crew?"

Out of the corner of her eye she saw survivors starting to gather at the edge of the gate, staring up at them. She nodded to Garrus and Miranda, who went to guard the gate.

"There was Resistance to the plan. Mutiny. We had to take a hard line to keep order. And things settled down. As the decay set in we made sure the crew were comfortable. Some even seemed happier. Ignorance is bliss right? And they were grateful for guidance. Like an instinct." She struggled to keep the sneer off her face. This wasn't about controlling a bad situation, it was just about power. "Pure authority was easy. At first. Months in the effect lowered inhibitions. They got territorial, Rank, protocol, they couldn't understand. We had to establish dominance. After a while the perks seemed normal."

"That's it?" The anger was actually fading from Jacob's voice, replacing by disbelief. "You created a harem and played king? Ten years in a juvenile fantasy?"

"I can't point to where it all went wrong. But when the beacon was ready, revealing what happened didn't seem like a good idea."

She had heard enough. "We can help these people. Cerberus can have ships here in days and pull everyone out."

Jacob drew his pistol. Shepard waved for the others to stand down. This wasn't something they wanted to get involved in, not if Jacob could work it out on his own. "He's not worth the fuel to haul him out, or the air he's breathing." She watched him closely, hoping he would see it for himself. "He's damned lucky I don't think he's even worth pulling the trigger." The anger was gone, and she breathed easy as he replaced the pistol. "I don't know who you are, because you're not any father I remember."

"We'll secure him for an Alliance court." She gave Ronald a harsh look that deflated the man. "For every year here, he'll have ten to think about it."

"Give him all the time in the galaxy. The man who did this doesn't know right from wrong."

As they walked past, heading for the gate and the survivors, she heard his father speak. "I'm sorry Jacob, I did the best I could."

Jacob's response was quiet, almost too quiet for her to even hear it. "I'm ten years past believing that."

It took nearly a day to organise getting the survivors off planet, which was much longer than Shepard had anticipated. She double checked with Joker to make sure that they would meet Miranda's deadline, then made her way down to the armoury to try and find Jacob.

Joker contacted her as she walked through the armoury, wondering if Jacob might be hiding in a corner. "Alliance ships are inbound to secure Captain Taylor and his crew Commander. We;'ll be long gone by the time they get here."

She grinned. "Don't even give 'em the tail lights."

"Roger that."

As she headed out of the armoury she heard a voice from the communications array. "What do you mean it wasn't you?"

She walked into the hub to see Jacob standing in the quantum communicator. "Jacob, if I had leaked the information about the Gernsback I would be smiling at your resolution of the situation. I am not smiling." It was The Illusive Man, of course.

She stepped into the communication disco. "Nothing goes through this ship my ship without a report to you."

"I had no more reason to believe Jacob's father was alive than he did. But I'm happy to know the situation is behind you."

"Fine, you didn't forward it, so who did?"

"I did." She hadn't even heard Miranda come in.

"Figures. Who else could get into Cerberus channels?"

"It was hardly classified, just obscure." She turned to speak directly to Jacob. "There was a time when it mattered to you. Sending this along seemed like keeping an old promise. I keep my promises"

The Illusive Man was smoking away. Shepard was starting to think it was a tell, though whether for anger, annoyance or not having anything to say. "Miranda, we'll discuss your liberal interpretation of security protocol in private. Shepard, Jacob, dismissed."

They walked out and the door cycled closed behind them, Shepard leading him back to the armoury. "You good with this Jacob?"

"It's all bull Shepard. Captain Taylor can rot in prison. Doesn't change who I am or what I know. I've already mourned the man he used to be. I guess she was a good enough father that even he can't screw up what he taught me."

"You had no idea Miranda was behind this?"

He shook his head, looking strangely wistful. "No. She's got a good memory. Selective, but good. I hadn't thought about those days in a long time. Can't figure which promise she meant though. Not sure I really wanna know. She requires a better man than I." Now _that_ was interesting.

She let it slide. She could figure out that history on her own time. "We've got work to do."

He stopped her as she was leaving. "Shepard. Thanks for the help."

She held out her hand and he shook it. "Anytime Jacob."

**AN:- **This will be a recurrent theme on loyalty missions. Some of the squad will just not want to go on a loyalty mission. Zaeed for example is being paid to do his job and get out, he's not going to want to help out anyone else. Now obviously some of the crew may have the money or influence to pay him for his services, which introduces a new dynamic, but Jacob doesn't.

I was using a new word processor to write the last couple of chapters, and it insisted on changing every use of the word 'krogan' to 'brogan.' I felt like I was writing with Barney Stinson.

Jacob's journey is an interesting one through this game/mission. He assures Shepard he's okay with things, but by the end he is all but shouting at his father for betraying the image he had built up of him. Then he gets over it, and realises that he feels almost nothing for his father, which is in some ways even worse than being angry at him.

Not a great deal else to say. Miranda's mission next, which will be split into two chapters. Just too long otherwise.


	25. Chapter 24: Illium

**AN:-** Fun times. Lots and lots happened.

**Chapter Twenty-Four: Illium**

That night in the mess hall Jacob came and sat with them.

"Unusual to see you eating this late," Garrus said as he sat at the chair next to Joker.

"It's been an unusual sort of day."

"That's one way of putting it," Joker said. "Not the best way to find out about the folks is it?"

"My father was dead a long time ago. That man wasn't him. At least not the memory of him I want to keep."

Garrus gave a low rumble in his throat. "I can understand that feeling."

Jacob chuckled. "I'd imagine you can. What with that Archangel work of yours."

"That, and some other stuff. You've had an unusual day, I've had an unusual two years."

"Since the Normandy went down?"

"More like since this human commander came up to me on the Citadel and started asking me all about a SPECTRE named Saren. Never did get her name…"

"Careful Vakarian, I've still got dirt on you Jacob doesn't know about."

The men laughed and she smiled, digging into her rations.

"So how do you come to us Jacob?" Garrus asked.

He shrugged. "I was a soldier. Then a mercenary. Then the Illusive Man recruited me."

"There has to be more to the story than that."

"Not much. I'm a damn good fighter, and the Illusive Man's always looking for talent."

"I'll say you're a good fighter. The last human I saw with such a deft hand was Ashley Williams."

"Now that's high praise coming from you."

Garrus looked confused. "You know Gunnery Chief Williams?"

Jacob nodded. "I read every line of the Normandy file, all the bits that weren't redacted, and some of the bits that were. You saw more action in three months than most soldiers ever see."

"That action wasn't exactly fun at the time."

"I can't tell you how many times I read that report wishing I had been there. You guys were doing something that meant something. Saving people, hunting geth, heroic business. And now I'm here. On the right side for once."

Shepard frowned a little at that. "On the right side?"

He met her eyes. "On your side Shepard. You have my word on that. What you did for me…" He shook his head. "The Illusive Man wouldn't have done that. None of my old squad would have done it. Hell I don't even think Miranda would have gone there. She'd have expected me to go off and do it alone. But you came with me. You were there when I needed it. So I'll be there when you need it."

* * *

><p>Miranda sighed and put her head in her hands. Jacob had turned, that was almost certain.<p>

But he had a point. Shepard had gone beyond the call of duty for him, despite him never having given her reason to trust him. And the woman was about to do it again, for her. And while Jacob might have been a foe only because of his tangential relation to Cerberus Shepard actively disliked Miranda. And she had good reason for that. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the monitor, permanently keeping an eye on Shepard's bed.

Her _bed._

She shoved back from the desk and stalked across to the window, where at least she wasn't surrounded by all the reminders of what she did. It was usually easy to keep it all turned off, to ignore the specifics of her life and her choices. But suddenly it was all starting to hit very close to home. How could she have thought to ask Shepard to help her like that? What would she have expected other than a derisive laugh and a swift denial. But Shepard had said yes, simply because they shared a ship. She'd have done less for a co-worker she'd known for years. She had done less for a co-worker she'd known for two years.

_At least he was a traitor. Makes it a little easier to justify._

She went back to her desk and shut down the recording in the mess hall. Then she paused while looking at the image of Shepard's bed. It took her less than five seconds to shut the image down. She would rubbish up some report for a Cerberus tech the next day and figure out what to do in the long term after that.

* * *

><p>"Illium's a pretty busy planet, TIM-wise."<p>

Shepard ignored EDI flickering in annoyance and leaned against the back of Joker's chair. "Two dossiers and a personal mission? I'd say so."

"Personal mission Commander?"

Shepard mentally kicked herself. "Ignore that Joker."

"Ignored."

"I'll be taking Miranda with me."

"Miranda?"

"Ignore that too."

"You know I'll find out what's going on sooner or later."

"Hopefully I will as well."

"How wonderfully cryptic. Bringing us in to dock now."

She turned to leave, but he made a strange noise. "Something in your throat Joker?"

"You do know who else is here don't you?"

"I do. And I'm not going to be avoiding her. Just, maybe not rushing straight to see her."

"Can't be easy."

"It won't be. What it will be is private."

"Understood Commander. And good luck."

"Thanks joker."

"We're not going alone," Shepard said before Miranda was even fully through the door.

"Can't trust anyone else Shepard, don't ask me to do that."

"I'm not asking you to trust someone else, I'm asking you to trust me."

"Shepard," Miranda turned to her, and she actually looked distressed. "Don't push this."

The elevator doors opened and Garrus was standing there, waiting against the CIC. "I'm not risking your life Miranda. Garrus goes with us or we don't go."

"You told him?"

"Of course not. As far as he's concerned we're assisting in a Cerberus prisoner transfer."

"You always have me assisting with such glamorous jobs," Garrus drawled as the two women stepped up next to him and they began to make their way past the CIC. "And we do seem to be doing a lot with prisons this time around. Couldn't you at least find one mad scientists lair? For old time's sake?"

"We're about an hour early this time if you want to do some shopping."

"Oh no, I'll stick close. You tend to find trouble in even the most mundane situations." They stood in the airlock and waited for it to cycle open. "Strange to arrange a transfer on Illium though."

"You think TIM's sharing with me?" Shepard managed to keep her tone light.

"TIM?" Miranda asked from behind them.

"Oh, the Illusive Man, T-I-M, TIM. It's Joker's thing."

"Of course it is. You and Joker need to learn a little respect."

"For TIM?" Garrus said. "I don't think so."

"Oh great, now you've got Garrus doing it as well."

They came out onto the docking bay and were immediately met by an asari in an elegant dress. "Welcome to Nos Astra Commander Shepard. We've been instructed to waive all docking and administration fees for your visit. My name is Careena, If you need information about the area, it would be my pleasure to assist you."

"Who instructed you to waive the fees?"

"The order came from Liara T'Soni," Shepard's chest tightened and for a moment it felt like the floor was shifting under her feet. "Who paid all fees on your behalf. She also asks that I direct you to speak with her at your convenience. she's near the trading floor."

Shepard managed to stammer out a thank you and the concierge moved on.

"Shepard?" Garrus stepped up to her elbow. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, Garrus. Yeah I'm fine. I. I will be fine." She shook herself. "We don't have time for a reunion with Liara though. The transfer's in just over two hours. We need to kill some time, let's get down to the trading floor and see if there's any good tech."

"We're not exactly going to blend in," Miranda said. "You're in full combat gear and he's a Turin. There's not many on Illium."

"We don't need to blend in. But buying high end combat gear will spread an immediate story of mercs on Illium. If anyone hears that they'll be wary. Hopefully that'll make our job a little easier."

"Why would mercenaries make girds on a prisoner transfer nervous?"

_Dammit Garrus, why do you have to actually be intelligent?_

"It's not a standard prisoner transfer," Miranda said, surprising her. "There may be mercenary groups trying to stop the transfer on someone else's orders."

"And you think if rumour gets out of a heavily armoured trio of soldiers making the rounds b eyeing up high tech weaponry it might scare some of those mercenary groups off?" Garrus nodded. "Smart. That's the way I'd play it too. Kick up a fuss, make a scene. Scare off some of the riff raff at least."

Miranda was reassured that he wasn't more suspicious, but Shepard knew him. He was filing the information away, working at it from every angle until he could figure out the true story. Miranda would do well not to forget that Garrus had once been a detective for C-Sec.

"So where did you want to start?" Miranda asked as soon as they were on the concourse.

Out of the corner of her eye she spotted a familiar woman, sitting at one of the tables and drinking something green and fruity-looking. "I think I have an idea."

She led them over to the table, standing in front of it and folding her arms. "Gianna Parasini."

"Shepard! The news said you were dead!" She leaned forwards, smiling. "What happened? No wait, probably classified. Forget I asked, you'd just have to lie. It's been a couple of years. You clearly remember me."

"Whatever did happen to Administrator Anoleis?"

"He made the one mistake Noveria won't tolerate, he got caught taking their money. He's doing a few years in white collar prison. More importantly he won't work in the field again. Sit down. If I remember right I owe you a beer."

Shepard sat, gesturing for Garrus and Miranda to do the same.

"What brings you to Illium, y'know, that you can talk about?"

"You ever heard of the Collectors?" She enjoyed watching Giana's eyebrow rise. "They're attacking human colonies. I'm going to stop them."

Parasini covered her surprise with a laugh. "Damn Shepard, for me a tough job involves more paperwork." She glanced over to one of the kiosks and immediately her manner changed. "Hey, listen, I just remembered something." She knocked back the last of her drink and pushed a beer over to Shepard, taking care to keep the coaster under the glass. "I've gotta go, talk to you later? And don't forget to drink your beer."

Shepard waited until Parasini had vanished into the crowd, then lifted the drink and scanned the note beneath. "So what does it say?" Garrus asked.

"Apparently we have to talk to that asari merchant. She's got some sort of prototype Parasini wants."

"You see what I mean?" Garrus said as they stood and made their way over to the weapons stall. "Trouble, even over a drink with an old friend."

The shop owner spotted them as they came up to her. "Welcome! You look like someone who needs high quality equipment! Feel free to look around! My store has the best tech and biotic equipment on Illium!"

Shepard made a big show of looking over the list, spotting some bits and pieces she might even consider buying. "Is everything here so expensive? I'd planned to drop a lot of credits today."

"Really?"

She nodded to Miranda and Garrus. "I'm outfitting a team for a dangerous mission. I need the best and I'm willing to pay for it. As long as you work with me."

"Well, perhaps I could give you a proffered rate at the kiosk." She turned and adjusted the prices, and Shepard knew she had her. "Here, a small discount, and when I get special items in, you can take a look."

_Oh really? _"What kind of special items are we talking about?"

"Oh, you know, schematics, designs." She leaned in close, lowering her voice. "Nothing illegal, but I may not have all the licences to sell them."

"Do you have anything else?" She played along, leaning in closer. "Anything not listed on your main merchandise kiosk?" She managed to avoid saying 'if you know what i mean,' but it was close.

"Well, there is one thing. Very advanced design, not public ally available yet."

"That's because it's still in development on Noveria, and illegal to export." Gianna appeared behind them. "Hello Hermia."

"Parasini!" She reminded Shepard of a Scooby Door villain. "You set me up! But this isn't Noveria, you don't have the authority to arrest me!"

"I don't care whether you go to jail. I've got all the evidence I need to fine you out of business."

Shepard turned to Parasini, completely ignoring the weapon's dealer. "Do you have the authority to seize the schematic she 's trying to sell?

"I don't have to. Hermia was under suspicion. We leaked a faulty device to her. All this thing will ever do is blow up in your face."

The asari was deflating fast. "I, I need to go. I have to talk to my lawyer." She actually ran away.

"Talk fast Hermia, when the fines hit, you won't be able to afford him!"

"And I would have gotten away with it if it weren't for you meddling kids," Shepard muttered to her team. Garrus only looked confused, but Miranda looked away to cover a smile.

Gianna turned back to them. "Ah, that was good. I've gotta go file a few papers. Come by my table when you've got minute."

Shepard watched her walk away, smiling despite herself. "Hey Garrus, you feel like getting some trinkets?"

Five minutes of shopping later they wandered over to Gianna's table, where she was waiting with two beers.

"Hermia is going to be a very poor woman very shortly," she said by way of greeting. "Thanks for the help Sheppard. I love nailing asari. So ageless and superior, then you get them and they squeal like schoolgirls." That conjured very different images in Shepard's mind. She took a drink and tried to calm herself down before she started blushing. Garrus gave her a sideways look.

She decided to change the subject. "It must be nice having a job you really enjoy."

"I wanted to be a cop, or C-Sec, but my family had bills. I needed the money a corporate job brought in." She shrugged, but it was rueful. "Besides, in this job you don't see things that make it hard to sleep at night. White collar crime is nice and clean. Hell, at least time I didn't have to wear heels and a dress."

Shepard took a long pull of her drink while Gianna did the same. "It's been a pleasure Gianna," she said, holding out her hand.

They shook, Gianna smiling again, but this time it looked genuine.

"You too Shepard, see ya around."

She stood and walked away, leaving Shepard and her team alone.

"That was friendly," Garrus said. "Usually our old friends are the first lining up to point fingers."

"She actually likes me." Shepard finished her drink. "It might be a good idea to keep an IA agent on side."

Miranda was starting to look nervous. "We've still got some time to kill, might as well go and wait at the bar."

Shepard nodded and let Miranda lead the way to a bar called _Eternity._

There was a man at the bar, yelling at the bartender. The voice seemed oddly familiar. "You're really holding out on me? I'm a man o the edge! I got nothing to lose!"

"Uh huh." Thai bartender was an older asari, and she looked supremely unconcerned with what the guy was saying.

"I'll do anything to get the job done, I'll go all the way without a second thought!"

"Uh huh."

"You wanna see how far I'll go?" He turned away and waved dramatically. "I leaned how to shove a gun in people's faces from…" He spotted her just as she recognised him. "Commander Shepard?"

"Hey, if you know this idiot can you rein him in before I slap his ass with a singularity?"

"Shepard? Is it really you? It's me, Conrad Verner! We met on the Citadel! I wanted to be a Spectre? Oh, uh, and then you shoved a gun in my face?" She was suddenly defensive _No I didn__'t._ "You showed me what it meant to be truly extreme. I leaned that lesson well." He finally managed to rein in his fan boy and put on the same 'hard-man' voice. "So you're alive huh? I hear it goes like that in the biz. Why don't you sit back and watch how it's done? I've got some asses to kick."

"Conrad, why are you acting like me?" she heard the whine in her voice.

"What? Are you crazy! I'm nothing like you. I'm not a Spectre working for the Council! I'm on my own, backed only by my wits and my nerves. No rules, no laws, just whatever it takes to get the job done! I'm not like you at all!"

Garrus shifted behind her. And she thought she knew the source of his discomfort.

"Why were you trying to get the deed to this place?"

"This place is actually a front for a red sand dealer. I need to take it over to crack the ring!"

The bartender broke in. "What? Who the hell told you that?

Conrad turned back to her. "The owner of that weapons store near the carport! She's an undercover cop! She told me about it when I introduced myself."

"Listen, crap-for-brains, First, we don't sell red sand. Second, red sand is legal on Illium! You just need a licence."

Shepard held up her hands, stepping between them. "I'll talk to this undercover cop and figure out what's going on."

"Thank you," the bartender said as Conrad went to stand menacingly by the door. "If I kill annoying customers it usually causes property damage, that comes out of my pay."

It took thirty seconds and a basic grasp of common sense to realise that the weapons dealer wasn't an undercover cop. It took another ten to convince her to go and 'seal the deal' in person. She arrived back at the bar just in time to see the asari being arrested. Conrad was still by the door, looking like a lost puppy.

"What happened? The undercover cop from the weapons kiosk just got arrested."

For a moment she was tempted to just let Conrad know exactly what was going on. The kid needed a wakeup call. But she couldn't do it. Better to let him have his moment of glory and let him get out clean. "She wasn't a cop. She was a deep cover operative from a terrorist cell. I'd never have found her if not for you."

"Really?"

"Really." She felt the speech springing to her lips, just like it had half a dozen times before. "You did a great job Conrad. Now please, go home. Let me take it from here."

"Can do Shepard, and thanks." He actually saluted, and she returned it. "It's really good to have you back."

As she left she couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

"He'd only have gotten himself killed," Miranda said.

"Huh?"

"If you let him keep going because you felt bad for how pathetic he was? He'd have gotten himself killed. Or maybe someone else. And then you'd have felt like their blood was on your hands."

"Thank you for your pragmatism Miranda." Ahead she saw an asari, sitting alone and looking around. Something about her posture made her look out of place with the other patrons. "Heads up."

They walked over, Miranda nodding as the asari's face came into proper view. "Lanteia."

"Ms Lawson, I'm glad you've made it, we've had a complication."

"What happened? Is Oriana alright?" Shepard glanced at Miranda. She was worried. Genuinely, very humanly, worried.

"She's fine but… you listed a man named Niket as your trusted source? He contacted me, warning me that your father has sent Eclipse mercenaries to make a sweep. He suggested that the mercs might be watching for you personally, he's offered to escort Oriana's family to the terminal instead."

That didn't sit right with Shepard, and she couldn't imagine Miranda trusting anyone enough to let them guard her sister. "It's your sister Miranda. What do you wanna do?"

"Lanteia, we'll follow Niket's suggestion. Shepard and I will take the car and draw their attention. Have Niket escort the family to the shuttle. Give him full access to the family's itinerary, just to be safe."

"Understood Ms Lawson." Lanteia walked off, leaving Shepard alone with the operative and a lot of questions.

"So the plan is for us to get shot down by Eclipse while your sister gets to safety?"

"Eclipse will be under orders to take my sister alive. They won't risk anything that could kill us."

"I'm ready when you are Miranda."

"Thank you Shepard, I appreciate this. I hadn't planned on Eclipse, but they never planned on you."

**AN:-** You might remember me saying something about how the late night dining hall dinners would be important character-wise. This is basically what I meant. Some of the post-loyalty conversations will instead take place at the dinner table.

Miranda, Miranda, Miranda...

Read Broken Mirror, my Miranda centric fic. This is basically the breakdown that precedes that fic. Miranda begins to question where her loyalty lies. Existential crisis time!

Illium really is packed with stuff to do. Shadow Broker, Liara, Thane, Samara, Miranda, Conrad, Gianna... It's just packed with missions.

I was originally going to write this with just Shepard and Miranda, but that wouldn't fit the overall theme I'm going for with Miranda, of her finally learning what an actual team is, and what it means to trust people. The fact that she doesn't protest Garrus' involvement more is supposed to be a sign that she might be starting to come around to the idea of the team.

I love Gianna. I kinda wish she'd come back for ME3, but then that might have meant her death given some of the other missions, so...

I also love Conrad. He's just so _fun_

Next chapter is pretty much all Miranda's mission.


	26. Chapter 25: The Prodigal

**AN:-** Miranda's loyalty mission.

**Chapter Twenty-Five: The Prodigal**

The mercenaries were on them in under a minute. Two gunships coming up fast behind them.

"Dammit!" Miranda said, opening the throttle. "Eclipse mercenary gunships, they'll be dropping troops in the cargo areas."

There was a conveyor belt below them and a stack of cargo crates that would shield them from the bulk of the mercenaries. "Put us down in that cover behind them."

"Let's hope they really do wanna take us alive," Garrus said as Miranda swung them down behind cover. Gunfire sparked off the outside of the hover car, then stopped suddenly.

The door was opening even before they landed, Miranda throwing herself out and stalking towards a man dressed in Eclipse gear and carrying an assault rifle. Shepard hurried out after her, checking the two guards on a raised platform and another mercenary near the conveyor belt. As she left the car she felt her sniper rifle leaving her back. Obviously Garrus thought he needed it, and she trusted him on that.

"Since you're not firing yet I trust you know who I am."

"Yeah, they said you'd be in the car. You're the bitch that kidnapped our boss' little girl." _Little girl? Later._

"Kidnapped! This doesn't involve you. I suggest you take your men and go." Shepard drew level with Miranda and kept her eye on the mercenary by the conveyor belt.

"Think you've got it all lined up, huh? Captain Enyala's already moving in on the kid. She knows about Niket, he won't be helping you." _That sounds pretty ominous. Could he have turned? Also later._

"You're not getting Miranda's sister," she said. "If you push this, it'll go badly for you."

"Captain Enyala ordered us to give you one chance to walk away. But this whole time we've been talking, my men have been lining up shots." Shepard tensed, resiting the urge to go for her gun. Hopefully they hadn't spotted Garrus. "When I say the word, we unleash hell on your squad. So I suggest you walk away nicely, unless you want things to get ug-" A bullet blew through his head and out the other side. He toppled slowly sideways as Miranda stepped forwards, pistol in hand.

"Works for me."

There was a loud crack from behind them and both the mercs on the platform dropped. Shepard had her own pistol drawn before the last merc could even move, blasting open the faceplate. "We have to move. There could be an army between us and your sister."

"That's not gonna stop me."

She ran off, Shepard waiting a second for Garrus to catch up, grabbing her sniper rifle as he threw it to her.

The Eclipse mercs were better than the Blue Suns, and leagues ahead of the Blood Pack, but they fell easily to Miranda's rage. She barely even needed Shepard or Garrus, her biotic field barely even flickering until she reached an elevator. Half a dozen dead bodies were strewn behind her. She was kneeling next to one of the dead commandos.

"Hang on, I've got one of their radios, I'll patch us in, see if I can get an idea of what we're up against." She avoided meeting Shepard's eyes as she stood and led them into the elevator. "Shepard, I think I owe you an explanation. Oriana is my twin, genetically. But my father, grew her when I was a teenager. She was meant to replace me. I couldn't let my father do to her what he did to me. So I rescued her. She's almost a woman now."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I'm very protective when it comes to my sister. There are people who would us ether against me." She finally looked Shepard in the face. "I, I'm sorry I didn't trust you sooner."

Shepard almost smiled, but she didn't want to ruin the moment. "If Eclipse knows where Oriana is, they'll be moving in on her soon. We need to hurry."

"Agreed, I'm a bit worried by what that merc said. If they've got to Niket somehow, this is going to be a lot harder than I planned."

Shepard thought about asking her if Nike was truly trustworthy, but before she could think of the best way to put it the doors opened. "Let's go."

Ahead of them was another conveyor line, bringing heavy storage crates down to the loading dock. The mercenaries were holed up on the other side of it, only moving when the crates would give them cover.

"We need to get to the other side," Miranda said as a bullet sparked off her shields. They ducked for cover and Shepard assessed the room. There was a narrow walkway that would take them to the other side of the line, but crossing it would be suicide with all the mercs firing on them. There was a lot of cover to their right though, which gave her an idea.

"Miranda, you're going to be the distraction. You move in as close as you can to that walkway, draw their fire while Garrus and I get an angle on them from the top of those boxes."

"That's going to be tough with the crates in the way," Garrus pointed out.

"If a moving box was all it took to stop you I wouldn't have brought you along."

"Point taken." He put his rifle back on his back and drew his pistol instead. "Ready when you are Shepard."

Miranda burst from cover, and Shepard didn't waste time seeing if she was alright. She and Garrus scaled the boxes at double time, reaching the top just as Miranda slid to cover behind a low wall. Shepard unslung her sniper rifle and tried to find a target, but the conveyor line blocked her shot. "Can't get a clear angle," she said.

"Me neither. What was plan B?"

Shepard watched as the heavy crates moved past them. Fast enough to make it hard to target, slow enough to keep your balance on. "Plan B is watch my back."

"Ah, the old favourite." He had already guessed what she was doing, and had moved to the back of the crate to give himself a better run up.

They sprinted together, leaping as one to come crashing heavily onto one of the cargo crates, setting it rocking. There was no time to catch their breath as it was nearly level with the walkway. Shepard jumped and landed hard on her shoulder on the other side, already drawing her SMG left-handed. She heard one of the mercs yell, "they're here!" and aimed to where the noise came from.

Her arm shook with the recoil as she got to her feet and drew her pistol, her vision finally settling and she was able to see half a dozen mercs, all turning to shoot her. She swept her SMG over them and then finished them with head shots. From behind she heard the crack of Garrus' pistol and his pleased grunt as he hit something. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Miranda sprinting across the walkway, weapon in hand. The final mercenaries dropped.

Miranda led the way again, taking them through a sparse metal corridor and out onto another loading bay. There were LOKI mechs ahead, spraying them with assault rifle fire, but they clearly only had basic defence programming, and it was a simple matter to put them all down. Another conveyor line was to their right, with mercenaries on the other side, but this time there was a wide gantry with enough cover for them to cross. Once they were on the other side Miranda flared blue and lifted an enormous packing crate before flinging it at a band of mercs crouched behind a low wall. The crate broke apart, leaking some sort of viscous fluid, and the fire suppression systems went off, covering the area ahead in thick white foam which set rock solid in an instant. The two mercenaries left uncovered by the goop ran for it.

They followed the only available path, listening to Enyala ordering her guards to kill them. Apparently only she was now heading for Oriana. That thought gave Shepard some hope. These mercenaries were only dangerous in large numbers, so the fewer surrounding Oriana, the easier it should be to fight through them.

The bodyguards rushed them in the next room, rocket launchers and biotic flares exploding around them. Shepard spotted a trench running through the middle of the bay and ran for it, ducking under a rocket and vaulting the low wall. From below she had a series of perfect shots on the bodyguards' legs, dropping them to floor where she could finish them off with ease. Any who tried to run were forced to stand, giving Garrus and Miranda a perfect shot.

Ahead Shepard could see another elevator, the door cycling open the reveal three mercs, who were quickly put down. The radio crackled as Miranda and Garrus caught up with her.

"Niket is reaching the terminal, he'll switch the family to our transport."

Miranda slowed to a stop. "Niket? But that can't be right…" Shepard grabbed her and pulled her onto the elevator, Garrus smacking the control.

"Maybe the captain knows we're listening in and she's feeding misinformation about Niket making a switch." Miranda was babbling. "Or maybe it means something else. Niket wouldn't do that." She looked up suddenly, walking to the controls and slamming her hand against it, her omni-tool flickering red. "Damn it, why won't this thing go any faster?"

The music shut off and the elevator sped up. "You know him Miranda," Shepard said, stepping forward and holding out her hand, stopping just short of placing it on Miranda's shoulder. "If you don't think he'd betray you then I'm sure there's another explanation."

"I don't know damn it." She regained some of her composure. "But I guess we'll find out soon enough."

The doors opened to reveal a bearded man and an asari with a huge rifle, arguing with a third asari wearing the clothes of a dock supervisor.

"Miri," the man said when he saw them come through the door.

"This should be fun," the asari said. The transport clerk ran for it, but she was shot in the back. Shepard snarled and drew her pistol, but she didn't aim it.

Miranda had no so restraint. "Niket you sold me out."

"How do you wanna handle this Miranda?" Shepard covered the asari, hoping Garrus was moving to a better position. They were completely in the open.

Miranda wasn't listening to her. "Why Niket? You were my friend. You helped me get away from my father."

"Yes, because you wanted to leave, That was your choice, but if I'd known you'd stolen a baby…"

"I didn't steal her, I rescued her."

"From a life of wealth and happiness? You weren't saving her, you were getting back at your father!"

It was time to put a stop to this before it went any further. "If you're working for Miranda's father, that means he knows about Oriana, We need to find a new solution."

"Miranda's father has no information about Oriana." Shepard's eye switched to Enyala, who was looking greedy. "I knew you had spy systems in your father's system Miri, so I kept it private . I'm the only one who knows."

"Which means that you're the only loose end." Miranda straightened her posture. "This isn't how I wanted it to end Niket, I'm going to miss you."

Shepard grabbed her arm and twisted the gun away. "Miranda wait, you don't want to do this."

"This has to end here Shepard, my father will keep trying to find Oriana."

"Maybe Niket can help, talk to your father." She fixed Niket with her harshest glare. "Just say you got here first."

"I'll," he caved. "I'll tell him that you hid her. That I don't know where she is."

"I never wanna see you again Nik-"

Blood sprayed out of his stomach and he fell to his knees. Enyala raised her rifle to aim at Shepard. "Done. Now if you don't mind, I have a shipment to deliver."

Before Shepard could go for her gun the asari rose into the air, frozen in a biotic field. "You'll die for that bitch!" Miranda yelled. She threw a ball of biotic energy forward, blasting Enyala across the bay into a wall on the far side, where she slid to the floor in a heap. Before any of them could move a dozen mercs burst in from the far side of the room, swarming to protect their boss and pouring fire at the three. Garrus' rifle cracked and Shepard looked back to see he was crouched behind a computer desk. Miranda dived forwards to avoid a rocket and rolled to a stop behind a crate.

The mercs split up, half of them moving to fire positions while the others led Enyala to safety. Shepard headed directly for them, firing a burst from her SMG to slow them down. She sprinted right past one mercenary, barely breaking stride as he turned to fire on her. A second later his helmet exploded as Garrus put a bullet through it. The four mercs and Enyala were right ahead of her now, the asari holding an arm across her stomach. She drew level and elbowed one of them hard in the head. The other three went for their pistols but she was faster. She kicked one between the legs, hard enough to crack the armour plate, he collapsed into another merc, knocking them both over. She grabbed the third one by the arm and head butted him hard in the chest.

Enyala came at her, but she was favouring her left side. Shepard slid easily past her defence and kneed her hard in the side. Two mercs were back on their feet now, pistols in hand. She dodged a shot from the salarian and got behind him, wrapping her arms round his head and twisting. His neck snapped easily and she kicked his lifeless body into the other one, knocking him down. She walked up next to the downed mercs and brought her boot down hard on his chest, cracking the breastplate.

Shepard looked down at Enyala, who was on crawling away. "Get on with it," she snarled.

"Not my job," Shepard said. "But we can't have you running away." She stamped down on the asari's back as hard as she could, the crack of her spine audible even over the gunfire. "That's for the clerk."

The last mercenary had surrendered, and Miranda was policing their weapon. "What do we do with her?" She said.

"Leave her. The police will pick her up soon enough. I have something for you."

She didn't watch as Miranda walked over to Enyala. She tried not to listen to the screams that were very suddenly cut off, and she didn't look down as they walked past the body to the elevator. In the elevator Miranda finally broke down, dropping to the floor and leaning back against the wall.

"I can't believe Niket sold me out, I didn't even see it coming."

Shepard knelt next to her. "Even with all your upgrades, you're human just like the rest of us."

"But I let it get personal; and I screwed up. Why didn't you let me kill him? I could have handled that. But watching him get gunned down by that asari bitch…"

"You still cared for him, even if he betrayed you."

"You're right, and my father knew it, he used it against me." She bowed her head, her hair covering her face completely. "It's always been like this. My father gave me anything I ever wanted, but there was always a hook, an angle for his long term plan. I threw away everything he ever gave me when I ran. Except Niket. Weakness on my part."

"You still have Oriana."

"My father didn't give her to me. I rescued her." She looked up, her eyes red but dry. "But yes, you're right. I still have something. Thank you."

They had reached the transport bay at last, and through the door they could see a dozen shuttles, people milling around and chatting. It seemed to be entirely civilian. "Garrus?"

He nodded, heading out to make sure there were no mercenaries left. Shepard helped Miranda up and they walked out onto the concourse. "Thank you Shepard."

"Don't thank me yet, we need to be sure."

"Not for that. For everything. You didn't need to do this for me."

"You're on my crew."

"That's what you said last time as well. What does it mean?"

Shepard nodded towards Garrus, sliding through the crowd with surprising grace. "That's what it means. He doesn't know what's going on. He barely knows you. He doesn't like Cerberus. But he's here because I asked him."

"I think I understand."

"No sign of Eclipse, it looks like we're clear." Garrus was on the other side of the room, still watching the crowd closely.

Miranda pointed to a small group standing away to one side. The daughter was the spitting image of Miranda, only with shorter hair and nearly ten years younger. "There she is. She's safe, with her family." She turned away. "Come on, we should go."

"Don't you even wanna say hello?"

"It's not about what I want, it's about what's right for her. The less she knows about me, the better. She's got a family, a life. I'll just complicate that for her."

Shepard stepped in front of her. "She doesn't need any details, but would it really be so bad for her to know she has a sister who loves her?"

"I guess not." Miranda looked to the family, then back to Shepard.

"Go on," Shepard said. "I'll wait here."

**AN:-** What I enjoyed most about this episode was the little moments between Garrus and Shepard. Just the two of them working together as a team makes me really enjoy writing them.

I do like Miranda as a character. She has so much potential.


	27. Chapter 26: Secret Dealings

**AN:-** Back again.

**Chapter Twenty-Six: Secret Dealings**

As they staggered back to the Normandy, smarting from aches and pains but with no more serious injuries, Miranda finally turned to Shepard and spoke. "Thank you commander. You didn't have to be a part of that."

"I'm going to say this one more time Miranda, and maybe this time you're going to listen for real. You're on my crew."

"I-," she shook her head. "I suppose I am." They slumped down into the chairs near the market. "I just wish… Niket didn't… He shouldn't. I almost wish I killed him. At least then I wouldn't have had to watch that asari bitch do it."

Shepard eased off a shoulder plate which had been bent somewhere along the way. "You still cared for him Miranda. If you killed him… It's a pain that never goes away. And he clearly still cared for Oriana, and for you. You wouldn't want to destroy all that."

"No, I suppose not." Miranda turned to Garrus. "I suppose you'd like an explanation as well."

His face shifted into a smile. Once more Shepard wondered whether Miranda would recognise the gesture. "I think I pieced most of it together. And for what it's worth, I'd do more if it were my sister." He cast an awkward look to the stalls. "If you two want some privacy I could always…"

"No, don't worry." Miranda sat up straight, and almost seemed to be pulling herself together at the same time. "I just wanted to thank you, both of you, for doing this. Without you she would have been back in my father's clutches."

They sat for a moment in silence, watching the traders and customers, all with no idea of the drama which had recently taken place. Eventually Shepard got up the courage to ask the question she most wanted to. "What did you say to her?"

Miranda gave her a wide eyed look and Garrus laughed. "Now there's the Shepard I know and love," he said. "Hello random stranger," he did a fairly good job through the translator of imitating her intonation. "How would you like to share incredibly private personal details with me so I may offer an opinion which somehow solves all your quandaries?"

"Stow it Vakarian," she growled good naturedly.

"And it's fine," Miranda said. "We just talked a little. I introduced myself. Her parents were a little shocked but she seemed to come to terms with the news very quickly. She's smart, smarter than me. And creative, which is something I wasn't allo-, never really practiced. She plays the violin, her favourite piece is the adagio from Nielsen's Fifth." Shepard tried not to let her smile get too wide. Miranda sounded happier than she ever had before. "She wants to work in colony development, she even joked about it. She's funny. Just something else she's better at than me." There was no bitterness in her voice, and for the first time she was smiling properly, in a way Shepard wouldn't have believed she was capable of.

"And what next for the two of you?" She asked when Miranda was done. "Will you stay in touch?"

"I think so," Miranda said. "I gave her my contact information, she gave me hers. It. It feels strange to say, but I finally feel like I have a sister, not just a responsibility."

"It's those bonds that keep people alive out here," Garrus remarked. "Solana always used to say…" That same shadow passed over his face again and for a moment Shepard was sorely tempted to give him a hug. "You need family out here more than ever."

Something in his tone struck a chord in her, and she looked up to where the administration booth was. She was rapidly running out of excuses, and with Miranda's sister safe and the mission over. She sighed and opened the comm channel.

"Hey commander," Joker said. "All done with your super-secret side-quest?"

"What have I told you about the videogame talk Joker?" She said with a grin.

"That it's childlike and goofy?"

"I think my exact wording was 'don't' but we can live in your world for a while yet."

"So what's the call for commander? Business or pleasure?"

"Business I'm afraid. EDI?"

"Yes Commander?"

"Do we have any further information on the Justicar or the assassin?"

"None yet Shepard. However Dr Liara T'soni seems to be an information broker of some repute on the station here. You may consider asking her. Your previous interaction may render her more amenable to a liason."

"I was afraid you were going to say that. Shepard out." She closed the link and turned back to her companions. "Back to the ship with you. Get cleaned up, get some rest. I'm going to hunt down a lead on the next two dossiers."

As they stood Garrus stepped closer. "Shepard?"

"Yes Garrus?"

"If you're going to talk to Liara, I'd like to come too."

She nodded. "It would be nice to have some company. I didn't want to do this alone."

"I can imagine. And I feel I need to apologise to her myself."

She nodded understanding. Miranda was standing awkwardly to one side, clearly not wanting to get involved. Shepard nodded to her. "You can go on back. We won't be long, I'm sure."

"Understood Shepard."

Once she was safely out of sight the two of them turned to the stairs leading to Liara's office. "How much do you know about where Liara went after you split up?"

"All I heard is what the Illusive Man told you. She joined the Shadow Broker somehow."

"That's comforting." Shepard remembered her dealing with the Shadow Broker. He had never done anything outright bad, but every time they spoke she had a deep sense of unease.

At the top of the stairs an assistant was waiting for them, and happily showed them into the office.

Walking through the doors a dozen things caught her eye. A hologram of a human man, nervous and shaking. A wide desk with multiple computer readouts and displays. The office tastefully but spartanly decorated. And of course an asari in a stunning body-hugging dress, her omni-tool lit as she faced down the hologram.

"Have you faced an asari commando unit before?" The voice sent shivers down her spine. The words brought to mind a matriarch in full biotic blaze, the rachni queen at stake. "Few humans have. I'll make it simple, either you pay me, or I flay you alive. With my mind." And then suddenly the illusion was broken. She knew exactly where Liara had gotten that from. They had both loved Firefly as part of their relationship. The Liara she knew was still in there.

At that moment Liara turned and saw her guests, her eyes going wide and her jaw dropping for a moment. "Shepard!" She cancelled the hologram at once and looked past Shepard to her assistant. "Nyxeris, hold my calls."

They practically ran together, meeting in the centre of the room. Shepard was unprepared as Liara grabbed her by the waist and pulled them together, their lips meeting and a flood of emotion washing through her as she smelled the faint perfume Liara used, tasted the almost spicy tang of her lips and felt the light touch of fingers brushing down the side of her face. She responded in kind, bunching Liara's dress under her hands and pressing them together, the horror and pain of the weeks with Cerberus forgotten in one glorious explosion of goodness.

Then it all changed, and she felt the tension in Liara's jaw as they broke apart, hands falling from each other and Liara's face setting, calm and business-like.

"My sources said you were alive," Liara said quietly as she moved back towards the window. "But I never believed… It's very good to see you." She finally noticed Garrus, who was standing quietly examining a potted plant. "Garrus. It is good to see you as well."

"You have sources now?" Shepard said, a hint of her old sarcasm creeping back in.

"A few. sources, contacts, even a little hired muscle." Liara shrugged a little, the same self-conscious gesture Shepard remembered. Her heart ached to see it again. "I've been working as an information broker. It's paid the bills since you… well, for the past two years." She sat at the desk, and the final parts of the old Liara seemed to vanish, safely locked behind the new, cold exterior. "And now you're back, gunning for the Collectors with Cerberus."

Shepard sat as well, trying to find her bearings again. "If you know all that then you know that I could use your help."

"I can't Shepard." The bluntness shocked her, as did Liara's tone. She seemed to be channeling her mother again. "I'm sorry, I have commitments here, things I need to take care of."

"What kind of things do you need to take care of? Are you in trouble?"

"No, no trouble." She stood again and started to pace a little behind her desk. Shepard was struck by how differently she moved, how much more confident and self assured her every motion was. "But it's been a long two years. I had things to do while you were gone, I have debts to repay." She sat again. "Listen, if you want to help I need someone with hacking expertise, someone I can trust. If you could disable security at key points around Ilium you could get me information I need. That would help me a great deal."

It felt wrong, like she was out of sync again with what the world should have been against what it was. Liara was talking to her like any of the other nameless people she had helped through the years. "What's this all about Liara? Can't you just talk to me?"

The mask slipped for a moment. "Don't you think I want to Shepard? This isn't because I don't trust you, this is Ilium. Anything I say is probably being recorded."

The pieces were beginning to come together, and by the way Garrus shifted behind her she knew he was coming to the same conclusions. Whatever Liara wanted them to help with was to do with her cagey nature. "If it'll help you I'll take care of it."

"Thank you Shepard." Liara leaned back. "But I suspect you are not here simply to catch up on old times. What information do you require?"

She was good. Shepard suddenly saw very easily why she had become an information broker. "There's an asari named Samara here on Ilium, do you know where I can find her?"

"Samara? Yes. She arrived recently and registered with tracking officer Dara. You can find Dara at the transportation hub."

"Why would Samara have to register with a tracking officer? Is she a criminal?" Shepard had understood that Justicars were supposed to be law officers, but it wouldn't be the first unpleasant surprise the Illusive Man had slipped into the dossiers.

"No. in fact she's quite the opposite. Samara is a Justicar, one of an ancient sect of asari warriors. Dara can tell you more."

Shepard decided to file that away for later. "I'm also looking for Thane Krios. He's supposed to be here on Ilium."

The assassin? Yes. He arrived here a few days ago. My sources tell me he may be targeting a corporate executive, Miss Nassana Dantius." The name rang a bell for some reason. She would need to review with EDI. "He contacted a woman named Seryna. Seryna has an office in the cargo transport levels. Perhaps she can tell you where Krios is."

"That was all just off the top of your head?"

"I'm a very good information broker Shepard. The world of intrigue isn't that different from a dig site. Except that the dead bodies still smell." There was far too much bitterness in her voice for that to be a general comment, but clearly Liara needed her hack job done before she would reveal anything personal.

"Thanks for the help, that's all I needed to know."

"Of course, if there's anything else I can help you with, let me know."

"I'll talk to you later Liara."

* * *

><p>Garrus was quiet on the walk back to the ship.<p>

"Something on your mind?"

He stared out at Ilium for a moment before answering. "All these secret dealings, clandestine missions." He sighed, his shoulders dropping slightly. "I need to tell you what happened on Omega, the whole story."

They went back to the tables by the market and sat. Shepard watched him closely as he rubbed his hands together, but he wouldn't meet her eye.

"Like I told you I went to Omega after things fell apart, and soon enough I'd put together a team of, I suppose you'd call us mercenaries. A group of people who saw how bad life was on Omega, with the thugs running every aspect of life, the gangs shaking down anyone trying to make a living. We decided to do something about it."

"Something?"

"Breaking up drug rings, shaking down the thugs. Putting the fear of god into anyone who would hurt the helpless. Without the red tape of the Citadel. My team had all sorts. Our tech specialist was a batarian, believe it or not. Ex-C-Sec, ex-mercs. Anyone with an axe to grind who wouldn't use it for their own goals. I had plenty of people thought we were just a new gang of course, but we knew better. And people were starting to take notice." He smiled. "Well, you saw just how much the gangs started to take notice."

"So what happened to them?"

"We were betrayed by one of my team, Sidonis. He tipped off the mercs, told them where our base was. He drew me out with a false job, then let the mercs hit my team." The bitterness in his voice again, the shadow across his face. She recognised all of it. "My men weren't prepared. He killed them all. By the time I got back there were only two survivors. They didn't last long. All ten of them dead, because of him."

She had seen the pain that losing that many men could bring, she had felt that pain herself, after Akuze. And she hadn't even been in charge then. "So what are you going to do now?" She asked.

"I found a lead on him. There's a specialist on the citadel. Name's Fade. He's an expert on helping people disappear. Sidnonis was seen with him."

He was dodging the question she was really asking. "What are you planning to do when you find Sidonis?"

"You humans have a saying, 'an eye for an eye,' a life for a life." His expression had gone hard and cold. She remembered the last time she had seen it on his face, when they went after Dr Heart. "He owes me ten lives, and I plan to collect."

"You sure that's how you wanna play it?"

"I'm sure. I don't need you to agree with me, but I'd like your help."

She kept her expression carefully neutral. He wouldn't listen to reason, not yet, she recognised that much in him. But if he was still the person she thought she knew then he'd find it difficult to carry out a cold-blooded murder. "Where do we find Fade?"

"I've arranged a meeting. We'll meet him in the neon markets near Zakera Ward. Thanks Shepard." The weight of that trust hit her hard. She nodded and stood, waiting until he did the same to begin walking back to the Normandy.

Just before they went into the ship she stopped and turned to him, looking him square in the eyes. "We have another saying Garrus: 'He who seeks vengeance must dig two graves, one for his enemy, and one for himself.' I've seen you go down this road before. Just something to think about."

His mandibles shifted a little and she worried for a moment that she had pushed too far too soon, but his expression was still more bitterness than stubbornness. "I had to dig ten graves already Shepard. What's another two?" And with that he marched into the airlock.

**AN:-** Apologies for how long it took to get this out, I had two computer disasters in a very short period of time. First I dropped my laptop and the harddrive broke, then my backup harddrive had a 'logic fault' and I lost another few weeks of work. And of course since I lost the dialogue from the sections of the game I'd already played, in the end I had to restart the game and do it again to get to the point I was at before.

Always backup your work more frequently than every month.

Bit of a quiet chapter this one, dealing with some interpersonal conflicts. Most of the dialogue is lifted verbatim from the games, as usual, but I shifted the order around a little, changed the location, added a few bits and pieces, like Miranda saying she properly feels like she has a sister, not just a responsibility. Hopefully it all still feels right for the characters. Miranda has not had a complete change of heart, she's not completely won over. It's more like post sister'saving exuberance has brought out this other side to her momentarily.

I mentioned Liara and Shepard watching earth movies and TV Shows a lot. 'Flay you with my mind' always sounded a bit too close to 'kill you with my brain' to me. Plus in the context of my story it would really highlight to Shepard that this is the same old geeky Liara, just hidden beneath the layers of what she has to do for her job. The bit with Joker about videogame talk was similarly lifted from the 'manly and impulsive' bit between Mal and Inara.

The Big Damn Kiss. Finally. Been looking forward to that.

The two graves/ten graves thing is sort of a more dramatic take on the same moment from Zombieland. In Zombieland Columbus warns Tallahassee about vengeance against Little Rock and Wichita, and he responds with 'that's right two graves, one for the big bitch, and one for the little bitch.' Garrus' line is hopefully a little more somber than that.


	28. Chapter 27: The Justicar

**AN:-**Two chapters in one 10 hour period? You are lucky aren't you!

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Justicar**

A shower and a change of clothes later and she felt ready to face the world again. She was back in her armour, but thankfully it was a new set of armour, rather than the same wet clothes as before. As she waited for the airlock to cycle she remembered the times on the old Normandy when she had worn her armour with the body sheathe still wet from washing and the armour still spotted with her own or someone else's blood.  
>Some of her nostalgia came from her companions. She had convinced Miranda that she didn't require constant accompaniment on these missions and for the first time the operative had agreed with her. So instead it was only Tali and Garrus in the airlock with her, and she could almost imagine that nothing had changed. He was rambling on about the old elevators on the Citadel while she threatened him idly with her shotgun. It was the way things had used to be before Cerberus got involved.<br>Their first target was the Justicar. Partly because Shepard was a little wary about inviting any more unsavoury characters onto her ship, and partly because she felt they were still lacking in straight up fighters. Grunt was proving his worth certainly, but with Zaeed refusing to go on personal missions she didn't fancy their chances if it came to a slugfest.  
>They made their way through Ilium to the security booth of the transportation hub where Dara was sitting at a computer filing reports. She saw them coming and spun her chair round to greet them. "Can I help you with something?"<br>"I'm looking for an asari warrior named Samara."  
>The name provoked an immediate reaction. "Wait, why? Do you have a problem or," she half rose out of her chair. "Did she kill somebody already?"<br>"Relax, I just need to speak with her." What was that about unsavoury characters?  
>"Good." Dara calmed down and sat back down. "Samara's the first Justicar I've seen on Ilium, if I'm lucky things will stay peaceful. She went to the commercial spaceport a few hours ago. If you wanna get there the pedestal on that balcony will summon a cab. Just be polite meeting her. Justicars embody our highest laws. And they usually stay in asari space, she's not used to dealing with aliens."<br>"Is she really that dangerous?"  
>Dara shrugged. "If you follow the laws you've got nothing to fear, and a Justicar would die without hesitation to protect the innocent." Her expression turned nervous again. "But their code orders them to stop lawbreakers with lethal force in most cases and everyone skirts the law somehow on Ilium. If someone tried to bribe her she'd be obliged to gun them down as a matter of honour. I'm hoping to avoid that."<br>Smart policy. "Thanks for your help."  
>"Anytime."<br>In the shuttle Tali leaned over to talk to her. "What are Justicars anyhow? I've never heard of them."  
>"They're a monastic order." Most of her information on them came from the bad Justicar action movies Liara had made her watch, but some of it she knew was true. "They've given up their families and possessions to follow their code. Most of them are on some lifelong mission, but they'll also stop to deal with any injustice they encounter. Which can be a problem." She tried to think of a good comparison. "In some ways they're like the SPECTRES undertaking personal missions."<br>"SPECTRES are authorised by the Council," Garrus pointed out. "Who do Justicars represent?"  
>The code of law. And themselves. No one becomes a Justicar for personal gain. It's closer to a religious group than a legal branch." She remembered something else Liara had told her. "No law abiding asari would question a Justicar's orders."<br>They were swinging in to the spaceport now, and on the deck she could see an asari and a volus having a fierce discussion. The volus had two security mechs with him, both armed. They landed just as the asari was marching back towards the station. Shepard levered herself out of the shuttle and went straight over to the volus.  
>"What do you want?" He asked as she drew close. "I've already got mercs wanting to kill me like they did my partner! I don't need any more trouble. As if that weren't enough some asari Justicar showed up this morning. All the natives are scared of her. I've got to get off this world."<br>She frowned at that. "Has Samara actually done anything yet?"  
>"The asari say that Justicar are lethal in a fight, and if they so much as smell corruption they start shooting." He cocked his head to one side and she imagined he was smiling. "The thing is, corruption isn't that hard to find around here."<br>"Tell me how to find the Justicar."  
>"She's in the alley where my partner was murdered." He gestured to where a police line separated off a section of the port. "A detective sealed the area so you'll have to talk with her if you want to go there."<br>"It can never be simple can it?" She grumbled as they walked over to the station. "No one can ever just tell us where to go and then we go there."  
>"Now now Commander," Garrus said. "You don't want to do things the easy way, you want to do them right."<br>They entered the station and Shepard spotted the asari who had been arguing with the volus. She seemed the most logical choice for the detective. They walked up to the desk.  
>"Nice guns." The asari looked up and met her eyes. "Try not to use them in my district. What can I do for you?"<br>Shepard sat, noting the nameplate on the desk. Detective Anaya. "I'm looking for an asari warrior named Samara."  
>"If you've got a score to settle with Samara take it somewhere else. I've got more than enough trouble here already."<br>"I need to recruit Samara for my mission, then we'll be on our way."  
>"Justicars usually work alone. But they are drawn to impossible causes."<br>From behind Garrus piped up. "We've got that covered."  
>"If you're getting her out of my district, I'll get you to her ASAP. She's at the crime scene."<br>That struck Shepard as unusual. "You're letting her into a sealed crime scene?"  
>"I'm a cop. I'll work with a Justicar all I can." It didn't sound that much different to how SPECTRES operated. She knew that Council protection had gotten her into a few places she might not otherwise have seen. "Besides, she's been looking at crime scenes longer than our two life spans combined. She knows how to handle herself."<br>Something else the detective had said also concerned her. "You're awfully anxious to get Samara out of your district."  
>"My bosses want me to detain her. They're worried she'll cause some kind of cross species incident. But her Justicar code won't let her be taken into custody. If I try it, she'll have to kill me. I have no interest in dying, so if you lure her away with some big noble cause before I have to carry out my orders, I'm thrilled to help you."<br>"Your superiors are sending you to certain death for no good reason. You have a right to disobey."  
>Muttering from behind caught her attention again. "We can disobey suicidal orders? I need to remember that for next time?"<br>"These days it's only twice a day."  
>"Most of the time I'm not being stupid about it," she said backwards to the two of them. "I can't say the same for Anaya's superiors."<br>"I'm a cop and I know my duty. I've been ordered to detain her and I will. Unless I can get her out of my district first."  
>That seemed a pretty clear invitation. "How do I get to the crime scene?"<br>"Around the corner. Go outside, take a left, look for the police line."  
>Shepard stood and walked back to her crew. "We'd better find Samara before the detective goes after her," Garrus said.<br>"Good plan."  
>They hurried out of the station and round the corner, passing the police line and opening up the doorway to the alley. Barely ten paces down they heard a voice rallying troops. Shepard drew her pistol and motioned Garrus and Tali to scout ahead. After a couple of seconds the report came back. Three mechs, two mercenaries. Shepard moved past Tali and closer to Garrus, who was sighting the leader of the mercs. She looked back to Tali, who had brought up her omni-tool, then found the second merc in her sights.<br>The two shots rang in unison, accompanied by the electric hum of droid software being tampered with. The mechs sparked and sputtered as both asari dropped with blood pouring from the sides of their heads. Incapacitated, the mechs were easy prey.  
>Shepard and her squad moved up, alert and ready for more hostiles, but as they came through the door at the end of the alley they were met with a scene of devastation, shattered glass and warped steel, and an asari body flying across the room, hurled by a biotic blast. Up above they saw another merc retreating from someone, and even through the glass they could hear her talking.<br>"Those were my best troops."  
>"Tell me what I need to know and I will be gone from here." Shepard would have known the asari who emerged was the Justicar without being told. She carried herself with an assurance Shepard had never seen before. Her jumpsuit was a striking crimson, with gold piping and a plunging neckline that went clean past her bust. "Where did you send her?"<br>"You think I'd betray her? She would hurt me in ways you can't imagine."  
>"The name of the ship. Your life hangs on the answer, Lieutenant."<br>"You can kill me, but one of us will take you down Justicar."  
>The asari merc was lifted into the air by a pulse of blue energy, then thrown through the window, slamming onto the floor below hard enough to dent her armour. Samara ran to the edge of the room then threw herself out, encapsulated in a biotic blue aurora as she floated gently down to the ground.<br>"Wonder if Jack or Miranda could do that?" Garrus muttered.  
>"What was the name of the ship she left on?"<br>"Go to hell." Whoever the merc was defending, it was clearly someone of great importance for the two women to both be so absolute in their goals.  
>Samara had placed her boot on the other asari's neck. "Find peace in the embrace of the goddess," she said as she twisted her foot, and even from the door they heard the asari's neck snap.<br>The Justicar finally noticed them, walking over and appraising their weapons and armour. "My name is Samara, a servant of the Justicar code. My quarrel is with these Eclipse sisters, but I see three well-armed people before me. Are we friend, or foe?"  
>Her beauty wasn't so hard to ignore now that she had killed a defenceless prisoner. "That merc was wounded and helpless, do you just kill anyone who won't help you?"<br>Samara looked back at the body, as though surprised at her objection. "If my cause is important enough yes. Are you different?"  
>"I've killed enemies, but always with good reason."<br>"I answer to a code that is clearly defined. If my actions are true to that code I am just. If they are not I am unjust. I don't pretend it is a simple matter, or that it seems right to everyone. But I sleep well at night, and that is more than most can say. How may I be of service to you?"  
>It was disconcerting how easily she had shifted gears. From merciless killing to pleasant conversation in the blink of an eye. Shepard suddenly found major doubts surfacing once more in the Illusive Man's choice of candidates. "I'm going up against suicidal odds and I need the best, that's you."<br>"I sense the truth in what you say, and it humbles me. But I seek an incredibly dangerous fugitive. I cornered her here, but the Eclipse sisters smuggled her off world. I must find the name of the ship she left on before the trail goes cold."  
>"I wish you were willing to go with the human, Justicar." It was the detective from before, and she looked nervous as she entered the room. "I've been ordered to take you into custody if you won't leave."<br>"You risk a great deal by following your orders, detective. Fortunately I will not have to resist. My code obligates me to cooperate with you for one day. After that I must return to my investigation."  
>"I won't be able to release you that soon."<br>"You won't be able to stop me."  
>Shepard stepped between them and held up her hands. "Uh, the human is lost here, can one of you clarify?"<br>"I was trying to convince her to leave with you, but Justicars and their code…"  
>"The detective has been ordered to detain me. I can't force her to disobey an order."<br>Garrus spoke up. "And after a day. Samara fights her way out of custody, killing anyone in her way."  
>"I am afraid so." She sounded genuinely regretful about that. At least there was some hope she wasn't a complete sociopath.<br>"There must be some way we can all get what we need."  
>"I see a way. While I am in custody, you find the name of that ship. Do that and I will join you. Then the code will be satisfied."<br>That was something she could do at least. "Do you have any leads?"  
>"The volus merchant, Pitne For, is tied to this. Eclipse mercs are preparing to kill him. Get the truth out of him. He may know a way into the Eclipse base."<br>The detective nodded as well, apparently satisfied with the way things had turned out. "Well I've got to get back to my station. And I guess I've got to take you with me."  
>Samara nodded to the detective, then to Shepard. "Thank you Shepard."<br>The two asari left, leaving them in the middle of the devastation. "Once more into the fire, right Commander?"  
>"It can never just go smoothly can it?" She asked with a wry smile. "Always gotta be something."<br>"A volus should not be too difficult to crack though," Tali asked.  
>Shepard felt an old familiar smile on her face. "I guess not."<p>

* * *

><p>"Hello again Earth-clan. Did you speak to the detective?"<br>"Why are the mercs after you?"  
>"I know nothing about any mercenaries Earth-clan. I'm merely an innocent merchant trying to make his way in life." Even with her lack of experience with volus she could tell he was lying.<br>"The Eclipse are out for your blood. I need your help to break into their base. Shouldn't we work together?"  
>"Yes! You're right Earth-clan, I'm desperate." He started to pace in front of them. "I've got angry mercs after me, and now this asari Justicar. Let's talk. I smuggled a chemical onto Ilium that boosts biotic powers in combat. It also is toxic. I may have, um, forgotten to mention that to the Eclipse." It was a little odd to meet a volus so expressive she could almost hear him smiling. But then Tali could be that way sometimes as well. "So they are perturbed and want to kill me."<br>"It sounds like you're a swindler and your actions finally caught up with you."  
>"True and true." At least he was good natured about it. "But I haven't survived as a merchant this long without being able to tell when there's a deal in the making. You want something."<br>"The Eclipse recently smuggled someone off world. I need the name of the ship she left on."  
>"I don't know about their people smuggling operations." Of course not. "They must keep records in their base. I do have a pass card they issued me to bring my goods in. Well I had to return that one, but I happened to make a copy." He handed her the card without any fuss. She handed it off to Tali, who nodded and headed towards the elevator. "Take it, but be careful, each Eclipse sister commits a murder to earn her uniform, they are all dangerous."<p>

**AN:-** Never quite know how I feel about Samara as a character. On the one hand interesting backstory, interesting personality. On the other hand devout and fanatical, which is always at odds for me as a favoured character type.

Probably the only major divergence from canon here is having Shepard explain what Justicars are. I mentioned her and Liara watching Justicar action movies, which I imagine to be somewhere like Die Hard/Lethal Weapon esque films, and so naturally Shepard would have asked what the Justicars were.


	29. Chapter 28: Dirty Deeds

**AN:-**And a third chapter in one day! You'll start to think I'm going to get back on schedule at this rate.

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: Dirty Deeds**

The moment the elevator door opened they were at it. A LOKI mech unfolding in front of them and bringing its gun to bear. Tali cut it in half with a shotgun blast before either of the other two could move.

"I'm so glad to be back," she grumbled.

"Just like old times," Garrus said with a smirk.

They came out onto a walkway open to the sky, several canisters and containers around. As Shepard ducked into cover she heard EDI over the earpiece telling her that inside was the toxic sludge that could enhance biotics. _If it's toxic I bet taking a bath in it wouldn't do you much good._ She dragged out her sniper rifle and put a round through one of the containers, releasing a cloud of blood-red mist that engulfed two asari. Inside the cloud they saw a massive surge of biotic blue, following by an explosion. Wet chunks of armour and meat splashed down onto the deck outside the cloud.

"I guess that's one way to stop them," Garrus said as he sniped another through the faceplate.

"If they were smart they wouldn't leave this stuff lying around in easily penetrated containers." _And they wouldn't pressurise it so much it literally explodes on impact. I wonder what Health and Safety has to say about this?_

The few guards on duty were downed, and they were able to move into the relative safety of the building ahead. There was a door inside and some stairs. Shepard motioned them through the door first, anxious to check for the shipping manifest, or someone who could tell them where it was.

Inside the room she heard the heavy breathing almost at once, as well as the scrape of armour against bulkhead. Someone was hiding behind a central wall. She nodded to Garrus, who moved to flank, as Tali drew her shotgun and went to flush whoever it was out of hiding. Before they could get into position a young asari stepped out, raising her hands. Shepard's pistol was in her hands in an instant, up and aimed for her head.

"Wait stop, I didn't fire my weapon once! I pretended to because the other Eclipse sisters were watching, but I didn't really shoot. I'm not one of them, I'm new." She lowered her hands a little. "I thought being Elnora the mercenary would be cool but I didn't know what they were really like."

"What do they do here that you don't like Elnora?"

"I thought we'd be flying around the galaxy shooting up bad guys and stuff right? But no, they just sell red sand and illegal weapons tech. They even smuggled an Ardhat Yakshi off world."

_Bingo._ She had never heard the word, but it had to be significant. "What does Ardhat Yakshi mean?"

"It's an ancient asari word for something that. I thought was just a superstition, until now. It means 'demon of the night winds.' I didn't think they were real, but the boss said this scary lady was one." _And she's just confirmed it was a person not an animal or cargo. That has to be what Samara's after._

"What ship did they use for the smuggling?"

"Wow! I have no idea, it was a few days ago and like I said I'm new. They didn't tell me anything." _Well at least this wasn't a total loss._

Shepard lowered her pistol, and nodded for Tali and Garrus to do the same. "Get out of here Elnora. If you so much as jaywalk, I will find you."

"Yes ma;'am! Okay I'm going. Thank you."

She fled back the way they had come, heading to the elevator no doubt. Shepard shook her head.

"Are you sure that's wise Shepard? To even join she'd have to have killed someone."

"I know Garrus. But it's easy to make a mistake, fall in with the wrong crowd. If she really thought she was going to be killing bad people she might not have looked too closely at that first kill. One way or the other, I can't shoot an unarmed enemy. That's just not in me."

She knew he had more to say on the matter, but thankfully his professionalism kept him from saying it while they were still in a combat zone. They moved up the stairs and into another open warehouse, with more guards easily put down between the three of them.

As they headed up some stairs and found yet another warehouse Shepard found herself slipping so easily back into the rhythm of it. It was so different with just Garrus and Tali by her side. They were a team in ways that the Cerberus crew just weren't. Sometimes their movements seemed almost instinctive. Like she knew when to leave a LOKI mech for Tali to hack into, and she and Garrus never found the same target at the same time, instead eliminating the enemies with a fluid range of motion. She could only hope that she might secure the loyalty of the others, as much as she had the loyalty of these two.

A dozen bodies later they emerged to a gunship launch station, and although they got a few rounds off as it back away into the sky there was no visible damage done. "That's going to be a problem," Garrus said.

"Well I wanted to make sure both sides of your face matched," she told him, gathering up a few dropped heat sinks.

"How kind of you."

"Guys?" Tali was just inside the next building. "You're gonna want to hear this."

A computer lay open, someone's personal log playing. Shepard listened in mounting horror as Elnora admitted to the killing of the volus as her first kill.

They were quiet for nearly a whole minute after listening to it, until eventually Garrus spoke. "I suppose Elnora the mercenary might really have been Elnora the mercenary then."

"We shouldn't have let her go," Tali said as she shut off the recording.

Shepard stood stock still in front of the computer, staring at it. The mocking laughter that had ended the recording was ringing in her ears.

Garrus came up behind her. "Shepard?"

She grabbed the back of the chair and heaved it across the room, shattering a bank of computer monitors on the other side. Still in motion she slammed her fist into the computer so hard it cracked the desk in half, sparks flying. She vaguely heard Garrus and Tali retreating as she drew her pistol and unloaded a full heatsink into the screen, blasting the crystals to pieces.

Breathing hard she turned round to see both of her squadmates half hidden behind the doorframe.

"It's alright," she said, angry at her voice as it tried to break. "I'm fine." She stowed her pistol and tried to relax her shoulders. "We'll finish that later."

Without another word she led them out of the room and back into battle.

Half a dozen mercs remained, all put down easily, but as they were crossing the bridge to the main warehouse a roar from below caught their attention. Shepard looked over the railing to see the gunship speeding towards them. "Cover!" She bellowed, throwing herself back as armour piercing rounds blasted through the metal at her feet.

Whoever was flying the ship was clearly a master, bringing it into a tight loop that avoided the various pieces of metal jutting out from the walkways. It came to a rest some hundred yards out, both cannons shredding any cover to shrapnel. Shepard hauled the rifle off her back and unfolded it, just as the missile launcher belched out a high explosive round that blew clean through a supporting pillar. The bridge yawed to one side and she lost her balance, landing hard on her side.

She stayed prone, dragging the rifle to her eye and sighting on the gunship, trying to find any weak spot. It was juking around but staying largely on one plain to allow its massive guns the maximum amount of targets. She found the missile tube in her sights, just opening to release another round.

Faster than light the slug shot from her own gun, hitting the nose of the missile before it had even left the tube. There was a massive roar as the first missile went up, then every other missile in the rack. The gunship disappeared in a fireball, practically vaporised from the force of the explosion. She grimaced as she got to her feet again. Most pilots would have kept the other missiles unarmed, risking the extra second to arm them before firing to ensure safety. Obviously the Eclipse pilot had had no such training.

"What happened?" Tali asked as they regrouped on the other side, Tali getting to work on the locked door.

"It committed fracticide," Shepard said.

Tali looked confused, but Garrus nodded understanding. It was an old human term for units that exploded as one. Clearly the turians had some sort of equivalent phrase. Tali shrugged away the military-folk and finished on the door, opening it to reveal a small office. They searched the desks for a moment and came up with a shipping manifest.

"Looks like Pitne's been a very bad volus," Garrus said with a hard smile. "2000 units of Minigen X3 to the eclipse. Along with 600 units of red sand."

"This isn't the information Samara needs. But it does implicate the volus."

Tali looked over Shepard's shoulder to read it. "I'm sure Detective Anaya would be interested in this."

Shepard collapsed it and added it to her belt, then pointed them into the next corridor. No sooner had they set foot in it than they paused, not quite sure what they were seeing. Ahead was a volus, examining a Tupari vending machine. He was swaying slightly from side to side and muttering to himself. In a base full of asari mercenaries hungry for blood it was incongruous to say the least.

Shepard walked up to him, but he turned before she could say anything and walked straight into her, bouncing off and reeling back against the machine.

"I am a biotic god!" he announced. "I think things, and they happen! Fear me lesser creatures! For I am biotics made flesh."

_What._ She heard Tali giggle behind her, and could only imagine the look on Garrus' face. "You need help," she said.

"_You_ need help! You stand before the mightiest biotic ever!"

She could only watch, fascinated, as he wobbled past her.

"Yes, the asari injecting so many drugs into me was terrifying. But then I began to smell my greatness. They may laugh when I fall over, but they don't know what I know in my head." He came up to Garrus, sized him up, and seemed to decide better of it, turning to Tali instead. "That I know that I am amazingly powerful. Fear me!" He exclaimed, pointing to Tali, who could only look helplessly to Shepard.

"Are you part of Pitne For's trade group?"

"When I was mortal I worked for Pitne. Poor soul is probably terrified that I have not returned."

She frowned and looked to Garrus, wondering if there had ever been mention of another volus. "He hasn't reported your disappearance…" Garrus said. "Probably so his departure won't get delayed."

"Pitne will pick money over friends every time," Tali said, trying to back away from the volus that now seemed to be trying to hump her leg like a puppy.

"Bah, I will wreak a just revenge over his people." He seemed to lose interest in Tali's leg, shambling towards the door at the end of the corridor. "But first the leader of these mercenaries is in the next room. I shall toss Wasea about like a rag doll!"

"Shepard, this guy couldn't tie his bootlaces, much less fight."

She hadn't been intending to send him in. Well. Maybe a little. "I will tear her apart, my biotics are unstoppable!"

"Wasea will tear you apart," she said. There was no way she could let this go on. "Take a nap, you'll feel better."

"Are you mad! I'm unstoppable!" He stepped right in front of her, facing away towards the door. "Feasting on her biotic rich blood will be the last step on my…" She nudged him slightly in the back of the knee and he collapsed to the floor.

"But… great wind. Bitotic god." He stumbled to his feet again. "I'm., I, what was I saying, I'm tired…you may be right. Yes I'm tired. I'll nap, destroy the universe later." And he was gone, out like a light and snoring softly against the wall.

"What an eccentric performance," Tali said.

"So much for godhood," Garrus agreed.

He and Tali went ahead to secure the door, but Shepard couldn't resist looking down at the sleeping form and grinning. "Sleep well my friend. And dream of bulbous women."

They had clearly found the right warehouse at last. An asari was leaning against a pile of crates, a bottle in one hand and a glass in the other, drinking some sort of electric pink liquid. When she saw the three commandos enter she snorted and threw the glass to one side, taking another swig of the bottle.

"Everything's gone to hell since we smuggled that filthy creature off world." She was slurring, but not enough for Shepard's liking. The amount of containers for the biotic enhancer weren't encouraging either. "First a Justicar shows up, now you." She heaved the bottle aside, flaring a brilliant blue as she did so. "At least I can take pleasure in turning your head into a pulpy mess!"

The charge was like a bolt of lightning, its force like getting hit by a freight train. All three of them were lifted off their feet and went sailing back against the wall, slamming into it hard. Shepard was pinned, blue energy manacles on her ankles and wrists keeping her bound. Garrus and Tali dropped to the floor, only to be slammed back again by a second charge. Clearly Wasea had been sampling her own products.

Shepard fought against the bonds, managing to wrench one arm free while the asari's attention was on the other two. Garrus was struggling to rise, while Tali just lay there. Wasea gestured and Garrus went flying, soaring clean across the warehouse and crashing through the side of a container, which spilled out a torrent of red smoke.

Shepard found new strength, grabbing her pistol and loosing two rounds, enough to break Wasea's concentration. The bonds disappeared and she dropped to the floor, rolling to cover behind a pillar. A blast of energy wide lanced past her, wide enough to cover both sides of the pillar. She swore and dropped to one knee, drawing her SMG in her off-hand. The second the energy let up she exploded from cover, emptying both guns in seconds as she made it to another crate.

Discarding the SMG she reloaded the pistol as fast as she could, hoping that Garrus was awake enough to pull himself out of the toxic cloud. She was about to launch into action again when a wrenching screech behind her alerted her to new danger. Rather than risk circling the container or try to shoot through it Wasea had lifted the entire thing straight up into the air.

_They were not kidding about this drug's effectiveness._ Shepard had time to think as she sprinted away, trying to avoid being crushed by a two ton solid paperweight. Her enhancements gave her new strength and she hurtled across the room faster than humanly possible, colliding hard with the crates on the other side and dropping to the floor and cover.

The room shook as Wasea dropped the container. Shepard crawled along behind the relative safety of another crate, pistol still thankfully in hand. It wasn't long before her cover was wrenched into the air again though, leaving her fully exposed. She rolled onto her side and aimed, determined to go out fighting.

Movement behind Wasea. Tali, a canister of the toxin in hand, slamming it hard over Wasea's head. The biotic field surrounding the asari ruptured the metal, releasing the drug. Tali was sent spinning away again by the force of the biotic wave that emanated from the gang leader, slamming hard into the far wall.

Wasea was screaming as the drug flooded her system, boosting her powers far beyond controllable levels. She was rising into the air, bringing anything around her up as well. Tables, chairs, crates and canisters all began to climb to the ceiling.

"That can't be good," Shepard said, bringing her pistol to bear again.

Two shots rang out, and she glanced back to see Garrus with his assault rifle, on top of the crates and blood running down the side of his head. Both shots caught Wasea in the chest, splitting her open. She ruptured like a balloon filled with custard, splitting into chunks that dropped to the ground with wet, meaty smacks.

They regrouped by the desk, a little lost for words. Finally Tali put their feelings into a sentence.

"That… was gross."

"Found the manifest," Garrus said. "AML Demeter."

"Let's get back to Samara," Shepard said, still staring a little blankly at the pile of gibbets that had once been an asari. "I think Anaya might need a little heads up before she sees this one."

On the way out they passed the still snoring volus.

"Are you sure you don't want to keep him Commander?" Garrus asked as they made their way down the corridor. "You do seem to enjoy collecting unusual samples."

"Stow it Vakarian."

"And I mean we're looking for strength, and a biotic god must be something to behold."

"I said can it Vakarian."

"I can see it now, the mighty wind sweeping the battlefield, attacking poor defenceless crotches."

"Shut up Garrus."

**AN:-** This chapter is supposed to be a deliberate call back to the last story. This is the first mission I do with only old team member (since for Jacob and Miranda Loyalty missions you need to have them + 1 obviously) And it does have a lot of the hallmarks of the old missions. Multiple tairs, multiple enclosed shooting ranges. Very much like the old pre-fab shootouts of ME1. Hence more banter, more clever ways of finishing off enemies, like shooting out the missile tube or blowing up Wasea.

'Just like old times.' The Mummy Returns (glad to see me now? Just like old times!)

More making fun of the lack of OSHA in Mass Effect.

Shepard's little freakout has a point, and will be coming back later. It was also kind of based on Firefly. Whenever Mal throws stuff or gets angry everyone else backs away. Here Tali and Garrus actually establish a safe blast zone.

'Fracticide.' I stole the name from the Wraith Squadron books (best things ever) There is a real word 'fratricide' which means brother killing. Basically I imagine that in a safe ship the missiles would be inert until they are loaded into the tubes, then some sort of electronic priming device is activated, making them ready to fire, but to speed up the process, all the loaded missiles can be pre-primed. But of course if someone like Shepard gets a lucky shot you have a chain reaction and the whole rack explodes. (I honestly have no idea if this fits with ME canon, nor do I care)

Oh Niftu Cal, will you ever not be funny? Tali's line is Monty Python, obvs, Garrus says what he says in game, and I gave Shepard Thane's line, because I like it the best.

Whenever I see Wasea's fight, she starts it by having a drink and I always thought the voice actress sounded like she was slurring, so I just made her actually drunk. Probably because the toxicity of the minigen hurts, so she's self medicating. Or just because she knows she's lost. Either way, more interesting. I loved writing her death. Absolutely disgusting and gory. Possibly influenced by Slither and Live and Let Die and all other number of stupid exploding deaths in movies. Mostly I did it because she's depressingly easy to kill in game. Just a slightly stronger asari. I wanted an actual thrilling fight.

Had a lot of fun writing this one. Read and review!


	30. Chapter 29: Changes

**AN:-**Another day another chapter.

**Chapter Twenty-Nine: Changes**

Back at the dock Samara was sitting quietly behind the Detective's desk, meditating on a bench. The Detective was trying to work, but kept stealing glances at the Justicar behind her. As Shepard walked through the door Samara's eyes sprang open and she uncoiled from her lotus position.

"I've got the name of the ship," she said. "Your fugitive left here two days ago on the AML Demeter."

"Shepard you impress me." Samara actually smiled. It did a lot to soften her features. "You've fulfilled your part of the bargain, and I will fulfil mine. I am ready to leave immediately if that will satisfy your superiors detective?"

"You're free to go Justicar." Anaya looked torn between respect and relief. "It has been an honour having you in my station. And it's nice that you didn't kill me too."

"Shall we go?" Shepard asked Samara.

"There is one matter of business we must attend to first. I must be sworn to your service so that I am never forced to choose between your orders and the code." Shepard didn't want to say out loud that she had worried about that very issue, but then Samara must have been experienced enough to know it was a concern. She knelt down in front of Shepard and glowing biotic blue. "By the code I will serve you Shepard. Your choices are my choices, your morals are my morals. Your wishes are my code." She flared again and stood.

Shepard found the whole thing distinctly uncomfortable. People kneeling in front of her was hardly at the top of her Christmas gift list, and people swearing oaths to her just brought another whole pile of responsibility she didn't want to deal with. "I understand how important this is to you," she said with as much respect as she could muster. "I will try not to betray that trust."

"If you have me do anything particularly reprehensible while in your service, I will of course have to kill you once the bond is done." In anyone else it might have been dark humour, but there wasn't a trace of sarcasm in the asari's voice. Hiding a shiver, Shepard motioned to the door, standing aside to let her leave.

* * *

><p>"Welcome to the Normandy Samara." Ever since she had helped him resolve things with his father Jacob had been acting as her unofficial XO. She was hoping that Miranda might be able to step back into the role now Shepard had helped her with her sister. But she still had some trust issues to work out. "We've studied your profile extensively. With your skills I think you'll be an excellent addition to the team."<p>

They were in the debriefing room, as always, but for the sake of the Justicar's temperament Shepard had kept the guest list to only the three of them. She stayed at the head of the table while Jacob addressed Samara. The asari still made her uncomfortable in a lot of ways. It was hard to get a read on her.

"Thank you. From an organisation such as yours, that is high praise indeed."

"I've seen Samara's biotic powers at work" she said. "They're substantial."

Jacob actually smiled as he nodded to her, which was an improvement in a lot of ways."We still don't know what we're gonna find when we hit the Collectors."

"I will be prepared for whatever we encounter."

And at once Jacob was back to the more mundane business of running the ship. He actually did make a good XO. She would have to recommend him for a commendation. If TIM allowed such things. "Where should we put you?"

"A room that looks out on the great empty void would be most comforting."

_Couldn't have phrased that any creepier. _"Put her in the Observation Room on deck three." It was unused by the crew, out of the way but close enough for emergencies, and not a room Shepard enjoyed visiting herself. It might have been a little selfish, but whatever kept the most people comfortable and happy…

"Thank you, I must meditate on the day's events."

And she was gone. Jacob turned to Shepard, leaning against the table. "Oh my."

Shepard cracked a grin at him. "Oh yeah. She's gonna be trouble in more ways than one."

"I heard asari were hard to read if they wanted to be, but she could have been thinking anything under that poker face."

"For what it's worth she's probably the most lawful and justice minded of all of us," Shepard pushed off from the wall and circled the table. "But if there's one thing I've learned it's that absolute adherence to the law can sometimes be as bad as complete disregard for it, depending on the law."

Jacob grinned as well. "To betray society in order to be true to his own conscience; that all these absurdities should accumulate on himself. This is what prostrated him."

"I don't recognise that."

"Les Miserables. Inspector Javert, so devoted to upholding the law that when his conscience and the law are in doubt he commits suicide rather than live in a world where the law is not absolute."

"You're full of surprises Jacob."

"You can't get by on situps and gun maintenance alone." He stood to attention and saluted her. "I'll get back to my duties."

As he left she was thinking about another conversation, and another surprising display of knowledge. Maybe, just maybe, this crew could work. It seemed absurd to say it, but it felt now as though she had Jacob's trust, and could in return trust him. There was nothing to back up that feeling of course, but there it was regardless.

Leaving the briefing room she wandered over to the research lab where Mordin was hard at work. She hadn't spoken to the salarian in a while and was curious as to what he might have been tinkering on. As she walked in he looked up and actually came round from his station, working his hands nervously.

"Shepard. Glad you're here. Need to clear the air. Know you're busy, but must confess. Lie of ommission. Work on genophage wasn't just study."

She tried to think back through the conversations she had had with him, and vaguely recalled something about the genophage. The problem with his motor mouth was that it tended to blur things together a little. "What was the Special Tasks Group doing with the genophage?"

"Study at first, as I said. Uncovered surprising data. Krogan population was increasing at faster rate than expect. Krogan were adapting to genophage. Overcoming disease."

"Did the Krogan evolve, or did some of their scientists develop a treatment?"

"Krogan scientists," he chuckled. "Never met Krogan scientist worthy of term. No, natural evolution. Krogan physiology incredibly durable, organ redundancy, backup systems, cellular regeneration. Genophage like any other natural hazard, Krogan evolved past it."

She felt like she knew where this was building to, and she wasn't happy. "Maybe they were just having a lucky year. Or fewer mercs left meaning more Krogan were left to repopulate."

"Please Shepard, social environmental concerns accounted for, not an undergraduate. Population spike caused by adaptation to genophage, no other possibility."

"The genophage was a terrible mistake." She remembered Wrex, so passionate about only one thing. His people and the tragedy forced upon them. "It nearly destroyed the Krogan and their culture, now they have a chance to recover."

"Naïve viewpoint, Krogan too dangerous to allow unchecked birth rate, look at Krogan rebellions. Personally led a science team. Created new version of genophage, released it on Tuchanka, other Krogan centric areas, restabilised Krogan population."

She looked away from him, folding her arms and biting the inside of her cheek. If he hadn't been on her team. If he had been anyone else right now she'd have hauled him before the Council for war crimes. "You never considered other options?"

"Hundreds, thousands, modified genophage offered best outcome, stabilised population, avoided publicity that could incite Krogan anger, averted potential genocide or devastating war. Best solution for whole galaxy, Krogan included."

"The genophage was a mistake bordering on a war crime. Recreating it is unforgivable."

He shrugged, heading back to his station. "Don't want me on team, don't bring me. Can stay here, work on Collector research. But no apologies, did what was right, hope you'd do the same if necessary. Should get back to work, talk more later."

And there it was again. That quirk of so many of the people the Illusive Man now had working for her. That certainty, that inability to admit guilt or wrongdoing, no matter what the action. Miranda had gunned down Wilson and never seemed to consider it a problem. Jack, her murdering, her piracy, her many and varied crimes that Shepard was sure she still hadn't revealed.

She headed for the elevator next, finding herself going for Miranda's office before she had even figured out what she was going to say. The door cycled open automatically, which made a change. Usually the operative kept it locked. Shepard hoped this was a change for the better.

"Shepard, how can I help?"

"Just wanted to make sure you were doing okay." They went to sit by the window, looking out at the stars. "In contact with your sister?"

Miranda nodded, smiling. It was nice to see. "She sent me a message just now actually. She's settling in well at her new home."

"I'm just glad I could help."

"And I'm thankful to you Shepard. I hope you know that."

She seemed to be trying to say more, but didn't have the words, or maybe was afraid of being overheard. But Shepard thought she did understand. "You should know by now Miranda, that's what I do."

"It is isn't it?"

"Some of the crew have other personal matters to attend to."

"I'm aware." Shepard was surprised by the tone. Obviously Miranda had been spying on all of them, but she didn't sound as professional as she had before. Possibly the realities of the job were starting to get to her. "Jack I believe asked you to do something?"

"I don't want to talk to you about the details." _Even if you already know them. _"That's Jack's decision to make. But yeah we're going to help her. And I want to help Garrus at some point as well."

"Pragia is pretty far out of our way," Miranda pointed out. "The Citadel is closer, but not exactly in our mission parameters."

"Well we need to resolve Kasumi's issue as well, and that will take us into Citadel space. Garrus' job shouldn't take more than a few hours of Citadel time."

Miranda nodded. "That one did surprise me."

"How so?"

"I wouldn't have though Garrus was the type for an assassination. And I wouldn't have thought you'd go along with it."

"Whatever happened to him on Omega…" Shepard felt a little odd talking to Miranda about it. "I need to help him get through it, whatever path that takes him on."

"You care about him."

"He's always been there. I couldn't do less for him."

"I understand." Miranda looked back to her desk. "I don't mean to be rude but I have reports to finish now we have the Justicar on board."

"Of course." Shepard stood and headed for the door, but she paused before leaving. "Miranda, on the Lazarus Station, when you killed Wilson…"

"Yes?" And there again, the uncertainty that had been missing before.

"Any doubts?"

It was a lot blunter than she had meant to be, but Miranda took it in stride, considering it carefully as she sat back behind her desk. "At the time? None. Now? I'd do it again, yes. He was a traitor, he was trying to kill us all. But I think now I'd make sure my information was more complete."

"Huh."

"I was designed to be perfect Shepard. That doesn't mean I can't make mistakes, and I own up to them when I do." Miranda seemed to be struggling with a question of her own. "Shepard, do you trust me?"

The question surprised her. She stood by the door considering it, trying to find the truth. "The last time you asked me that, I asked you a similar question."

"You still oppose the Illusive Man."

"I do. And you still support him." The unasked question hung between them, and Shepard thought she saw doubt on Miranda's face. Not enough, but more than had been there before. "I asked if you supported me. I didn't ask if you trusted me."

"I'm not sure if I do. I can trust your actions. I can trust to know what you'll do. But I… I haven't got a lot of experience with trust itself."

"Well my answer may not help you much. I may not trust you yet, but I don't not trust you."

"I… think I understand." Miranda turned back to her desk as the door cycled open. "Despite the rather clumsy double negative."

"If nothing else Miranda, you can trust me to be clumsy and badly spoken." She got the next bit out before she could regret it. "Chow's in thirty, you're welcome to join."

"Thank you Shepard. I'll see how these reports go."

As she was heading back to the elevator she saw the door to the crew quarters open and heard voices from inside. She paused outside to listen, recognising them.

"They lost contact with New Canton, might be the Collectors."

"Did your family get out?"

It was Patel and Rolston again. She remembered him mentioning his family lived in New Canton, along with their new baby girl.

"I don't know, there's no communication yet."

"They'll be safe, you'll see."

She leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes, gritting her teeth until it hurt and fighting the urge to scream in frustration. All her big talk and she wasn't even able to protect one family on one colony. And one of her crewmember's, even worse.

"Shepard?"

Her eyes flew open and she pushed off the wall, turning to see Tali emerging from the elevator. Her body language was uncertain, and she was avoiding getting any closer. Shepard forced a smile onto her face. They were both thinking of her little office-trashing fit earlier.

"Tali, it's good to see you."

"Are you okay Shepard?"

She rubbed her face a few times and headed back towards the mess hall. She had been meaning to eat soon anyway. "I'm fine Tali. How about you? Settling in okay? Is the new Normandy giving you any trouble?"

"Please Shepard, I'm a quarian. Give me a chunk of scrap metal, a circuit board and some element zero and I'll have it making precision jumps." Thankfully Gardner wasn't on duty, so they were both able to get into the kitchen. "I was worried about working with Cerberus engineers, but they know what they're doing, and they've been very polite."

"You seem like you want to talk." Shepard started pulling out random supplies, not entirely sure what she was planning on making. The only problem with having real food instead of MREs was that she actually had to prepare the food instead of just heating it. Tali had it a little easier, taking a few tubes of nutrient paste and piling them onto a plate.

She took it over to the table and watched as Shepard examined her odd collection of ingredients. "We didn't really have time to chat while taking out the geth on Haestrom did we? I can't believe so many people died. Thank you again for getting Reeger out alive." She started sorting through her own food. "All for data about stars blowing up! I hope the Admiralty Board gets some use out of it."

Shepard finally had her meal ready to go. Chicken, waffles, bacon, cheese and some sort of caramelised toffee thing. She shrugged at her choices and piled them all into the instant-cookers. "Have you heard any word about Reeger? Did he survive his injuries?" She set the timers and waited the few seconds it took for everything to heat.

"He sent me a message, looks like he'll make a full recovery. Anytime you get a suit puncture, it's a matter of luck. Reeger got out with a relatively minor infection."

Clanking on the deck nearby alerted them to Garrus, making his way to the kitchen. He had an intensity to him now, as though he had a purpose. She wished it wasn't such a bad purpose, but at least he was getting some focus back, kicking out the exhaustion he had had before.

"Having any trouble settling back in on the Normandy?" He asked as he joined Shepard in the kitchen.

"I like the quiet. I miss the old faces though, Pressley, Engineer Adams. All of them, doesn't seem right having Cerberus in charge of this ship." Shepard had collected her food and come over to join her at the table. "Are you sure working for them is the right thing to do Shepard?"

"What happened between Cerberus and the quarians?" She asked.

"They were attempting to kill or control a young human biotic who was on the flotilla. They attacked one of our ships. I don't really know what happened. I do know that Cerberus made an enemy of the quarian people."

Shepard dug into her chicken, wishing she actually knew how to cook. "I fully expect them to betray us at some point, and we'll be ready."

"I'm glad to hear that Shepard. Just let me know how I can help."

The three of them had just got settled when Joker hobbled round the corner, accompanied by Jacob, Ken and Gabby. "Room for a few more?" Ken asked, making a beeline for the kitchen.

"More than welcome," Shepard said. "Do you think it's likely we'll have more?"

"Jack seems to be staying put," Gabby said. "Zaeed too, thank god."

"And I don't think it's likely Grunt will join us for a sit-down meal."

"Wrex was the same," Joker said. He had actually gone to the trouble of firing up one of the ovens, instead of simply using the flash-cooker. Shepard almost regretted cooking her own food now. Although the chicken and waffles was surprisingly tasty. "I reckon he spent three whole months either shooting geth or leaning against his bulkhead."

"At least he didn't make a habit of getting himself shot almost beyond repair." Chakwas had come to join them, slipping into the seat next to Shepard. "Which is more than I can say for some of you crew members this time around."

Garrus had come to the table at last. "Now doctor. How would you keep your skills sharp for the real emergencies if we didn't put them to test every so often?"

"Mr Vakarian if you are suggesting I cannot keep my skills sharp without the use of live subjects you had best hope you don't end up on my operating table again. It's been a very long time since I sewed my initials into someone's liver."

Miranda arrived so quietly Shepard almost didn't notice her. She slipped into a seat at the far end of the table with an MRE and started to eat quietly. Jacob noticed, of course, and Garrus, but the others seemed too engrossed in the conversation which had sprung up between Tali and Ken about the best use of something called 'shunters.'

"I'm no' sayin' the 80-04 doesn't have the capacity, just that 80-10 sits better in the system."

"The 80-10 is the same as an 80-04!" Tali insisted. "They changed the nozzles, inverted the drive chamber and hoped that no one would notice. For durability and reliability the 80-04 has an easy edge on the 80-10."

"Now I can understand why you'd think that, working on such old ships and having such old gear, but the Normandy is top of the line! We can't be putting a fifty year old shunter in a 50 day old cruiser."

"Shepard, please don't tell me you let this man run the engines before I got here?"

"Uh."

"Commander, tell this whipper-snapper that the Normandy is a finely tuned machine, not some sand-skimmer from a border world."

"Ah."

"You wouldn't know a finely tuned machine if one drove up your zadnitsa." The translator neglected to translate.

"We-"

"I wouldn't know a-! You've been working with three hundred year old pieces of horse crap more likely to asphyxiate the crew than fly!"

"I'm confused," Garrus said, leaning over to talk to her. "Do they like each other or should we be setting up a screen in engineering?"

"If they put a masking tape line down the middle of the floor I'll know we're in real trouble."

"Anyway," Ken said, the argument apparently on hold. "Gabby and I had a little proposition for the crew."

"That sounds nice and ominous," Shepard said, chewing on a strip of bacon. "Go ahead."

"We all remember the rather fine story of our commander and the bad hand of poker."

"Sometimes it keeps me up at night," Joker said.

"And of course Gabby and I are both skilled hands after so long on Alliance vessels."

"You want to organise a poker night." Shepard guessed.

"Well you've taken all the fun out of announcing it now, but yes."

"I think it sounds like a great idea Ken," she said. "Let's wait until we've got our assassin on board though, okay?"

"Of course Commander, and I am looking forward to it."

**AN:-**Samara. At first she is very cold. Then she warms up, which is nice. Still creeps me out when you first meet her though.

Shepard feeling like she can suddenly totally trust Jacob is a bit of a dig at the whole concept of the loyalty missions. You do one mission for someone you might not even have spoken to until that point and all of a sudden they are completely beholden to you and willing to sell out their employer/principles just to follow you. So Shepard obviously has some sort of inbuilt loyalty sensor where she knows who's turned and who hasn't.

Jacob reciting Les Mis. I love the musical, it's my favourite musical and I've seen it live as well as performed in school productions of it. Brings a nice parallel to Ashley Williams, highlights a different side to Jacob, is a good quote for describing Samara. Basically I just couldn't resist.

I only realised after I took down Mordin's conversation that I hadn't actually included his first references to working on the genophade. Thankfully his tendency to ramble gave me the perfect excuse for Shepard to have heard it but not really been listening, and it implies that some of the conversations I haven't represented did take place, just off-screen. Which is not at all because I'm a lazy writer.

I like finally being able to have Shepard and Miranda talk properly. The barriers are down, walls caving in, and loyalties shifting. Shepard is finding she can be a loyal to a new group of people, and Miranda is finding she can trust. All very important character development stuff. Although Shepard is in an uncomfortable position where she doesn't want to discuss things crew members told her in confidence, but Miranda already knows and it wasn't really in confidence. So she's all conflicted about that as well. Shepard's awkward double negative was fun when it happened. I always imagine her as speaking from the heart, not making rehearsed speeches, and as Stephanie Brown once said 'you shoot from the hip, sometimes you miss the target.' (Yes I was reading Batgirl in between writing this chapter)

Shepard's meal/culinary abilities. I thought it would be nice to have one thing Shepard just plain sucks at. She cannot cook. At all. She uses a flash cooker (futurey microwave) to make weird combinations (I actually found the exact meal by searching Pinterest for 'weird recipes) and hopes for the best. Obviously Joker continues to be his great culinary self, making real food for himself and Chakwas, like in book one.

I'm looking forward to the Poker Nights. When they happen.


	31. Chapter 30: The Last Dossier

**AN:-** Nice fun chapter for once in this dreary miserable game.

**Chapter Thirty: The Last Dossier**

"Unusual to see you out of your office Miranda," Shepard noted as she stepped out into the CiC.

"I thought I might get out and see the crew, experience the Normandy. Uh, 'get some shit between my toes,' I believe was your expression?"

"And what a fine expression it was." Shepard led the way towards the cockpit. "Just one last dossier to collect. An assassin."

"Not just any assassin Shepard. The Illusive Man seems to think he's one of the best."

"And if TIM says he's one of the best, I ought to take him at his word."

"Whatever else you may believe of The Illusive Man," Shepard thought she stressed his name a little bit harder, "believe that he knows how to find good people."

"Of course I believe that," Shepard said as they ascended the stairs.

"Really?"

Shepard turned to her with as much emotion in her eyes as she could manage, fighting to keep a straight face. "He brought you to me didn't he?" She reached out her hand a little, as if she wanted to touch Miranda, then turned and marched away, leaving the Operative speechless on the walkway.

She held in the giggles until she was right behind Joker.

"Something wrong Commander?"

"Oh nothing, just some harmless hazing for the new recruit."

"New recruit?" Joker looked back to see Miranda entering the cockpit. "Ah, another convert to Team Shepard. Sweet. I'm thinking of having some t-shirts made."

"That will not be necessary Mr Moreau."

"So what's the sitch captain?

"I need to put in a call to Liara. She's been working on setting up a meet with this dock worker who can point us to Thana Krios."

"Just give me a second," Joker started to leaf through displays. "Liara's got about a million new encryption services and routers and scramblers on. Probably looks like we're calling from the galactic core or something."

"Commander Shepard?" It wasn't Liara's voice. Shepard swallowed her disappointment and leaned down to the mic.

"This is Shepard. What can I do for you?"

"My name is Syrena. I understand you want to talk?"

"That's correct."

"Meet me by the docks in 20 minutes. Don't be late."

"Understood." The line was already dead. She turned back to Miranda. "I want Garrus in position with a sniper rifle in five. Jacob watching perimeters and you as personal bodyguard to me. Wear something appropriate."

"Understood Shepard." Miranda hurried off to carry out the orders.

"What about you Commander?" Joker asked. "Armoured to the gills again?"

"I had something a little different in mind…"

* * *

><p>"Syrena?"<p>

The asari sat at the bench next to her and opened up a datapad as though nothing was more interesting. "Who wants to know?"

"Someone looking for information on Thane Krios."

"I know Thane Krios. I might have passed him some information. But I didn't hire him. What do you wanna know?"

Shepard turned a little so she appeared to be watching the ships docking and launching. The dress she was wearing spoke of wealth and power. Just another rich girl on Ilium. "Maybe you could help me find him."

"Ha." Syrena put the datapad down and leaned back, keeping an eye on Miranda. "I can tell you but you won't stop him. When he contacted me I checked up on him. The man never gives up on a job." She seemed to sense that that wasn't going to be enough information. "I ran security for Nassana Dantius. Then I found out she was having people killed to cover up her dirty secrets. She fired me when I confronted her. Her loss. I might have been good enough to stop Thane from taking her down."

"So where do I find Thane?"

"The Dantius Towers." She leaned over and pointed out a structure just visible on the Ilium skyline. Two towers, connected by a bridge. "Penthouse level of Tower One. There's a second tower, still under construction; if Thane is smart he'll go in through there."

"It doesn't sound like Nassana's just going to let me in."

Syrena smiled as she leaned back. It was the practiced smile of a spy. Shepard could see how she had got a job in security. "You'll have a fight on your hands. You'd better be ready."

"Just tell me when.

Tonight. As soon as the tower's cleared of workers. Meet me back here." She looked Shepard up and down. "Maybe wear something a little more appropriate."

She stood and walked away, leaving Shepard alone on the bench. Miranda came over and stood at her shoulder, hands crossed in front of herself. "Productive?"

"Very. We've got a date tonight."

"I meant for the mission."

"So did I." Shepard looked back and grinned. "I thought you were a spy Miranda? Isn't double talk and codes your thing?"

"Shepard that hasn't been a part of spy work since we were stuck on Earth."

"Spoilsport. Although I must say you're looking every inch the Bond Girl."

Miranda had eschewed her customary white jumpsuit in favour of something black and slinky. It had orange piping all over and the zip was marked by orange thread as well. It was a lot more imposing than her other jumpsuit, covering her from the neck down with no exposed skin. It glistened like patent leather or vinyl, but was probably made out of some sort of ultra-high-tech bulletproof material. It still had Cerberus logos all over it, but in this one case that was probably for the best. Cerberus defending a well-dressed woman would raise a few questions, but in general would keep people away.

"I suppose I should take that as a compliment."

"Well if nothing else you're doing wonders for my mood." She toggled her ear piece. "Garrus. Name Nassana Dantius ring any bells with you?"

"Was on the Citadel two years ago during the last round of crazy. Her sister was a pirate we killed on a routine mission, then it turned out she wanted her sister dead anyway."

"Oh yeah." Shepard remembered suddenly. Such an insignificant thing, even at the time. She hadn't paid it any attention at all. "So I'm guessing she won't be too pissed at us if she wanted her sister dead to begin with?"

"She's a crime boss Shepard. You have something of a reputation among them."

"Sad but true. We've got quite a bit of time to kill and I think we bought most of the good weapons tech last time we were through here. Maybe Ken'll get that Poker game after all."

"Wait you weren't serious about that were you Shepard?"

"Well I'm sure it would be invitation only Miranda. You've probably got nothing to worry about. Although keep wearing that jumpsuit and I just might ask you."

"I don't think I will ever understand you Commander."

"You haven't called me that in a while," she noted absently, watching Garrus emerge from the crowd. "And why?"

"One moment you hate me, then you're all for second chances, then we save Oriana and now it's flirting and borderline harassment. You are a woman of many faces it seems."

"Well you were the one who wanted me to trust you. How do you know this isn't it?"

"If it is I'm beginning to wonder how anyone on the old Normandy got any work done."

Shepard laughed. "Well done Miranda! You made a joke."

"I'll try to contain myself next time."

Garrus had rejoined them, Jacob only a step behind. Shepard stood and smoothed down her dress. "Very well my wonderful bodyguards, shall we go?"

They headed back to the ship, Garrus leaning in close to mutter. "You just happened to bring an evening gown with you?"

"A good soldier is prepared for every eventuality."

"Well I'll be a lot happier when you're back in nice familiar armour."

"Why Garrus," she almost purred, keeping one eye on Miranda for the reaction. "If you wanted to get me out of my clothes all you had to do was ask."

They froze in the middle of the markets, Miranda actually choking for a moment. Garrus had an expression she hadn't seen since he faced Saren, pure unbridled terror. Jacob looked about as confused as a man could get. He shook his head and grumbled. "Something about that is just downright unsettling."

Shepard laughed and forged ahead. "Come on crew. Weapons to service, bad guys to kill. Time's a wasting."

* * *

><p>Once they were back on the Normandy she got dressed into her more comfortable civilian clothes and went to find Garrus. As always he was at the batteries, calibrating.<p>

"You got a minute Garrus?"

"For you Shepard? Always. Though if this is about your offer from before I'd rather not. Uh. Not to be rude but-"

"Garrus it's okay. I was just messing with Miranda."

"Good. I don't mean any offence but our friendship is one of the few stable things in my life and I don't want to, uh, throw a wrench into it?"

"You mean a spanner in the works?" She smiled. "I know what you mean. And no offence but even without the species barrier, you aren't exactly my type."

"Understood Shepard. So what did you want to talk about?"

"I'm concerned actually." Now she was actually here it was difficult to just say it. "Worried about my own decisions, my judgements."

"Thinking about that Eclipse mercenary?"

"How could I have not seen through her Garrus? I should have known what she was." She sat down on a couple of crates and fiddled with the latches. "Didn't I used to be better at this?"

He went to sit on the desk opposite, sighing a little. "You might be asking the wrong turian Shepard. I've always had a hard time understanding how you make your choices. And when I tried it myself, well…" He looked away "We all know what a good judge of character I am now."

"Ever since I came back I just feel so wrong. Like the whole world went and changed and I'm playing catch up. And somehow I feel like who I am changed as well, without me even noticing."

"Well the world did change Shepard. And you're doing a good job with the catch-up if you ask me. And maybe you did change, and maybe you didn't, but I can tell you something for sure. You let a lot of people live who I might not have back in the day as well, and you were almost always right to do it."

"Almost?" she said with a faint grin.

Well let's look at the list shall we? You didn't let your old corporal kill that scientist. And now that scientist has probably spent two year spilling his guts in an Alliance jail cell. Killing him wouldn't have brought justice, and it couldn't have brought your platoon back. But forcing him to give up what he knows might stop Cerberus in the long-run, or it might save more lives of more soldiers. And you didn't let the man kill himself either. You stopped him. You gave him the chance to turn his life around."

She stared at the floor, not quite sure what to say. "I mean hell Shepard. You believed in the man who wanted to destroy the damn galaxy. Would anyone else have tried to talk Saren down? No, they'd have tried to shoot him down. But you let him die with some dignity. He was in control in the end. You gave him that much. People think that being a hero is all about cool quips, killing bad men and being some sort of renegade badass. But it takes real courage, and real strength to do what you do."

"And what is it I do?" She tried to keep her tone light, but it wouldn't come.

"You keep hope. Always. Hope that your team will protect you. Hope that the battle can be won. Hope that there is always some goodness to be found, no matter the situation."

"The situation is starting to look a little hopeless Garrus."

"And that's why it's more important than ever. You may not see it but I do. And Joker does as well, and Tali. Jacob and Miranda are coming round to you. You were afraid they wouldn't but that belief. That anyone can change. And now…" He shrugged. "When I signed up Shepard, I honestly wondered if this was a suicide mission. And I made peace with that. I could do happy, knowing that we had gone together in a noble cause, like the turian warriors of old. But now I think it would be the greater honour to live together in a noble cause."

The silence was so thick it was uncomfortable. Shepard couldn't find anything to say to him. After a moment he coughed and the tension suddenly relaxed as he laughed. "But listen to me. I'm getting old and philosophical before my time."

"Well now Garrus, there's room for an ancient warrior poet on my crew."

"I can see it now. And it terrifies me."

"I can just see you living out a hermit's life on some mountain. Beating up rocks and espousing on the glory of battle." She stood and shrugged the tension out of her shoulders. "I should be getting ready, and I'm sure you have-"

"Calibrations."

"Let's keep calling it that." She went to the door, not quite able to turn and look at him. "Thank you."

"Anytime Shepard."

* * *

><p>They gathered at the concourse as the sun was beginning to set. Shepard had decided to bring a small strike team of her most trusted instead of bringing the entire team in. Kasumi was watching the lights of the cars going by with Jacob. Miranda was at her side of course, with Garrus and Tali on her shoulders. Everyone else was on the ship, and she was hoping she wasn't going to come back and find it in pieces.<p>

"I'm still not sure leaving Jack alone on the ship was a good idea," Miranda said for the fifth time since they had left.

"If she tries anything, EDI or Samara will shut her down."

"And Samara as well. Something about that Justicar gives me the creeps."

"You've got nothing to worry about Miranda. She's Lawful Good."

"What?"

Silently thanking Joker for giving her another way to confuse Miranda Shepard cast her eyes about, noticing a krogan on one side of the port getting down on one knee. _What the…?_

"Oh Blue Rose of Ilium!" He said, loud enough to be heard over the entire plaza. A few feet away an asari buried her head in her hands and turned away, clearly mortified.

"Shepard." Garrus was watching the scene as well. "We already have a mission."

"But Garrus, come on! Don't you want to know?"

"Know what?" Miranda was looking as well now, and Tali too.

"Oh great," the quarian said. "Here we go again."

"Here what goes again?"

"Hello, my name is Commander Shepard. Let me intrude on this very personal moment and offer my opinion. I should go."

"Why does everyone keep doing that and I do not sound like that!" She looked back to the krogan. "Sorry guys, I've gotta know."

She tried not to walk too quickly and make it obvious what she was doing. Garrus and Tali were tagging along behind her, and she saw Miranda follow after a moment of indecision. She went right past the krogan and approached the asari, since she guessed she might have a better chance of getting sense out of her. He seemed a little too enarmoured with his verse.

"What do you want?" She snapped as Shepard approached, then waved her hand. "Sorry, sorry. That damn krogan's love poems are getting on my nerves."

"Is that krogan bothering you?" It felt like an odd thing to say. Normally a krogan bothering someone involved broken chairs. Or arms.

"No, no you don't need to hurt him or anything. He's harmless, which, I know krogan, is hard to believe." She seemed ready to spill her story to someone. And given the people involved Shepard bet it was something delightfully quirky. "His name is Charr. We're kind of dating but we're on a break. And he's trying to show me how sensitive he is by, well, wooing me. It's really bad."

That it was. He was going on about glistening shimmering pools of liquid. Krogan weren't known for their poetry, and she bet he was getting most of his lines from a thesaurus. And a pretty corny one at that. "Why are the two of you on a break?"

"He's serious. Serious as in talking about kids." Suddenly she realised exactly what was going on, even if the asari didn't. Her heart broke a little as she looked back to the krogan. "Charr is a great guy to date, but for something permanent? Krogan live long, long lives. It's not like a human where you just stick it out for a century until they die." That got a raised eyebrow out of Shepard. "Uh, no offence. It made me wonder if he really likes me, or if he just wants kids. He can't have them any other way you know, because of the genophage."

So she at least knew part of it. But Shepard wondered if she really understood the impact the genophage had had. Not many people had seen the effects the way she had. And krogan were notoriously tight-lipped about it. "This sounds like a question you should ask him."

"I did. I don't think he realised that our kids would have always s been asari. Non-asari don't always get that we're not taking alien DNA, we're just using it to randomise some of the genetic information." As one of the few non-asari who knew that quite conclusively, Shepard just folded her arms and waited for the point. "Anyway, Charr went quiet for a long time. then he said he'd love our girls no matter what colour they were."

A little part of Shepard, the part that enjoyed watching Disney movies with Liara and cuddling on Sunday mornings while talking about waffles, did a little jig for joy in her chest. She was a sucker for a good love story, and it had been a while since she had seen one that had a chance. "You need to talk to your boyfriend." She wasn't going to order the asari to get back together with him, but they deserved a shot. "He's just going to keep shouting poetry until you do," she added with a grin.

"I know. But it's tough, I like him a lot. Hell, I love him! But I don't know if he's permanent bond material."

Shepard looked over at the krogan again and instead of seeing the spectacle saw the feelings behind it. For a krogan to get down on one knee and recite love poetry… She understood the concept of a permanent bond, and if she thought it had a chance of helping she'd have been down on one knee outside Liara's office right then and there. "Look at him, he's obviously crazy about you."

She was coming around. Shepard knew the signs. "Is he? I mean, what if he just wants to have kids? Am I just his baby making machine? He said I wasn't, but…"

"If he said that then you either trust him, so you have nothing to worry about, or you don't, and you've already decided."

"I guess I hadn't thought about it like that. And I do trust him." She straightened her back and nodded. "I'm going to talk to him."

She marched off to talk to him, leaving Shepard with a warm fuzzy feeling in her chest and a couple of bemused teammates.

"Same old Shepard," Tali said.

"Told you."

"You know I spent eighty billion credits figuring out a way to rebuild your neural pathways," Miranda said.

"And?"

"And I think I should have gone for the full hundred billion, make sure they got it right."

That even got a chuckle out of Garrus. Shepard was still searching for a rejoinder when a shuttle car pulled into the bay and she recognised Seryna at the wheel.

"Okay. Show's over. Time to find the assassin."

**AN:-** I had a lo-hot of fun writing this chapter. I ended up cutting so much stuff from it as well. Some really great zingers and one liners.

The whole 'shit between your toes' thing actually comes from the first Alien vs Predator book, where it's a more literal term referring to rynth farmers (basically cow-herders). I just really love the idea of Shepard's playful side coming out. In the last book I deliberately made reference to her being a prankster and a joker and enjoying a good laugh. And in this really oppressive negative atmosphere it's come out again. Flirting with Miranda to make her nervous, joking with Garrus and Tali. It's a side to my Shepard I've wanted to show for a while now.

'I'm thinking of having some t-shirts made' is probably the most in character Joker line I've ever written.

I liked the idea of the meeting with Seryna being really cloak and dagger and old fashioned spy stuff. I don't know why. Probably just furtive way she gives you the info in game. Miranda here is obviously wearing her DLC alternate costume to look more imposing. Jacob's line was of course taken from Jayne in Firefly.

When I started this story someone asked me if Garrus/Shepard was going to happen. This chapter was supposed to be the definitive shooting down of that. I won't put down Garrus/Shep because I really really see the appeal, but it's just not for me. I prefer them as friends. And as stated my Shepard is fanonically a lesbian, with very little bisexual tendency. Garrus and Shep in my story are friends. Closer than close friends, but friends only. Part of their very important conversation was to establish that.

The other part of their very important conversation is to respond to a criticism someone made of my story. Some reviewers have said my Shepard is too Paragon, and thus boring/weak. And I would argue that it in fact takes the stronger character to be a Paragon, since with everything getting so bleak and dark, surely hope is the crazier notion? Again I see the appeal of Renegades, the funny lines the cool interrupts. But for my money a Paragon Shepard has a more interesting potential character to reveal.

And of course, the Blue Rose of Ilium. I love this sidequest. It's so goofy and silly but actually so heartfelt and nice. Tugs at the heartstrings. I also loved having Tali imitate Shepard. That's two of the crew so far. Who's next?


	32. Chapter 31: The Assassin

**AN:-** Technically this is deviating from canon. I did the Collector Ship before I got Thane, which is why this chapter took a little longer to get out.

**Chapter Thirty-One: The Assassin**

Syrena took them in through the main traffic routes. She was a good pilot, and the ride was smooth as they weaved in between the towers. She filled them in on some more details as they went.

"The towers are heavily guarded and you'll find more resistance closer to the penthouse." She shifted them to overtake a slow-moving haulage van. "So, this assassin, you planning to stop him?"

Shepard wasn't overly keen on sharing the details of their secret mission with the asari, even if she was connected to Liara in some way. "I'm just here to make sure he survives."

"Hmm." They swung round a corner and she nodded to the double tower in front of her. "There they are, the Dantius Towers. You'll have to get up to the penthouse and cross the bridge to Tower One. Her mercs will fight you every step of the way."

"Let's just do this."

"Hold on."

They landed on the platform outside the tower and the team piled out, Syrena giving her a thumbs up of encouragement before speeding away, leaving them on the platform. Shepard motioned the team to spread out, but it seemed as though there was a window barring their entrance. Hopefully there would be a door nearby instead of halfway down the building and protected by some sort of complicated locking mechanism.

Just as she was wondering if Joker was having too much of an effect on her there was a gunshot from inside. She looked through the window to see a group of salarians running away from something. One of them dropped to the floor, blood spewing from his shoulder, and from the other side of the room mechs emerged, firing at the salarians.

Shepard drew without thinking, putting all six shots from the Carnifax through the window and sprinting at it. There were spider-webs of cracks from where her bullets had hit, but the window was still intact. She hit it at nearly a full sprint, and the entire thing shattered around her, glass pouring down on her head.

Her run carried her right to the first mech before they had realised anything was wrong. She extended her arm, keeping momentum, and hit the mech hard enough to send it flying to the floor. She snapped her gun hand out and pistol-whipped the second one with enough force to crack its face plate.

Two FENRIR mechs were bounding towards her, but her team had finally woken up, and two sniper shots put them both down.

She looked around, surveying the carnage they had made. There were salarian bodies on the floor though, too many. She swore and reloaded her gun.

"Help." It was weak, but she definitely heard a voice.

"He's still alive," Garrus said, somewhat unnecessarily.

Shepard raced over, kneeling beside him as he tried to pull himself up. "I can't feel my legs, my chest is killing me"

"Jacob, medigel, now."

The soldier nodded, pulling a medi-pack from his pack and kneeling to administer it.

"We're just night workers." He stammered as Jacob worked. "Nassanna sent them after you…" He coughed an blood flecked on his lips. "She sent the mechs to round us up, but we didn't hear. They just started shooting."

"They just attacked you?"

"Yes. We were too slow. It was horrible. Everyone, screaming. The mercs said there was no time. Nassanna wanted us out of the way, immediately. Then, the dogs." Jacob sat back and nodded to her. He was in good enough shape.

"That should ease the pain and keep you alive until help comes."

"Thank you, that helps, a lot." He sat properly, still holding his arm across his stomach.

"Take your time," Tali said.

"I think I'm, better. Find the other workers, help them."

"Get this door open," Shepard said.

Tali got to work on it, and after a second the door cycled open.

"I'll do what I can," she said to the salarian, who managed a smile.

"Thank you."

The room they entered was under construction, plastic sheeting covering everything and girders strewn haphazardly across the floor. As they entered a dozen mechs powered up and started shooting. Shepard rolled her eyes as they ducked for cover. "Anyone with tech abilities, see what you can do about scrambling these guys. Garrus you're with me."

The two of them skirted the edge of the room, avoiding the heavy fire. Her target was a huge stack of metal poles all bound together.

"So what's the usual insane Shepard plan?" Garrus asked as they reached the poles.

"Actually I thought I'd try simple for once," Shepard said, pulling her knife off her back and slicing through the bonds. They were simple plastic and easily cut through. When the poles were unbound she heaved them out onto the floor, where they rolled right at the feet of the mechs.

"Never underestimate the stupidity of mechs," she told him.

As she had expected, the mechs were not equipped to deal with uneven ground, intended more for inner city security. The second they stepped into the pipes their feet went out from under them and they stumbled to the ground. Those that didn't break on impact were easy pickings for the team.

"I am finding new respect for your creativity Shepard," Miranda said as they regrouped, heading up several flights of stairs.

"A compliment and a joke in the same day?" Shepard looked back to Jacob. "Contact Chakwas, Miranda may be ill."

"Isn't there any chance you'll stop teasing me?"

"No," Tali said from behind.

"Absolutely not," Garrus agreed.

"It's an integral part of being on the team," Shepard told her as she spotted a mercenary and put a round cleanly through his helmet faceplate. "How would you know you were one of us otherwise?"

There were more mercs on the floor, but they were easy for her team to put down.

"This was the security Seryna warned us about?" Kasumi asked as they stepped over the bodies and towards the elevator. "She might want to get a refund."

"Honestly that may be the least of her worries if this assassin gets hold of her."

"Good point."

"Anything could be about to come through those doors Shepard," Jacob pointed out, examining the elevator. "We might want to find some cover."

"You have so little faith in your glorious leader," Shepard nodded to Tali, who stepped forwards and pulled a small pouch off her belt.

"What's that?" Miranda asked suspiciously.

"Old Shepard trick," Tali said as she set two small wedges at either side of the elevator. Just as she finished the elevator dinged and the numbers started descending.

"Cover, now."

They leapt for cover. Thankfully there was enough construction equipment everywhere that they could all have their own individual piece of cover. Shepard still found Miranda occupying hers though.

"Weapons? Positions? Firing?"

"Trust in me Miranda. And put your fingers in your ears."

"What?"

The elevator opened. There was a rattle of metal on metal as one of the mercs stepped out into the room and an enormous explosion rippled over them. The filters in Shepard's helmet kept the worst of it out, but even so her head was ringing as she looked up to see what had happened to the mercs.

"Opposition?" She asked, unable to see through the smoke of the explosives.

"Nothing left Shepard," Garrus reported. His targeting device allowed him to see clearly. "Well, meat and paste."

"Lovely." She sighed and stepped around the cover. "Into the meat paste guys."

"Wait," Kausmi said as she emerged. "Meat paste?"

* * *

><p>The elevator was cramped, disgusting when strewn with body parts and stuff that could have once been body parts, and it was, like the rest of the building, under construction. Which meant it was slow.<p>

Really. Slow.

All in all it was an unpleasant ride. Shepard stayed at the front of the group and tried to avoid tapping her foot or crossing her arms or any of the other hundred fidgety things she wanted to do really badly. Behind her she heard Garrus talking.

"You ever miss those talks we had on the elevators back on the Citadel?"

_Oh god._

Thankfully Tali responded before she had to. "No."

"Come on, remember how we'd all ask you about your life on the flotilla? It was an opportunity to share!"

"This conversation is over."

"Tell me again about your immune system!"

"I have a shotgun."

Shepard suppressed a grin at that.

"What about you Kasumi? Any deep personal pain you want to share with the group?"

"Is there a turian equivalent to being high?"

"What about you Jacob?"

"I have a shotgun too."

"Maybe we'll talk later." She couldn't resist looking back at him, to see him grinning. "I should go."

The door opened before she had to shoot him on general principal.

Ahead of them the building looked more finished. There was a gigantic window taking up most of the wall, and an Eclipse mercenary standing right in front of it.

_Perfect._

She marched over, making no effort to be quiet. He was obviously on a call, and she heard the end of it just as they drew level.

"We don't need any reinforcements. I'll take care of it. It's under control. I'll go down there myself."

"Turn around," she said, opening her pistol. "Very slowly."

"Damn it."

He kept his arms up while Jacob relieved him of his weapons. Shepard waited until they stepped back before opening the interrogation. "Have you seen the assassin?"

"Why, are you looking for him? You're not one of Nassana's mercs, who are you?"

She stepped a little closer and he backed up. "Not someone you wanna mess with. Answer my question and I'll let you go."

"Look pal. Even if I knew where he was I wouldn't tell you."

She took another step and he back right into the window. "Not the answer I was looking for." She grabbed one of his armour plates and shoved him, hard enough to crack the glass. Apparently it hadn't been reinforced yet.

"I've got nothing more to say to you. If you shoot me my team's right through there. They'll be all over you."

She shrugged and stepped back. "Okay." Bracing herself she shoved him hard and he went right through the window. Before he could fall she grabbed hold of his flailing wrist and held him there, dangling more than a thousand feet off the ground. "Is a little information really worth dying over?" She yelled over the sudden road of the wind. "Is Nassana?"

"Okay, okay!" All of the bravado had been sucked out of him.

"Talk fast, my arm's getting tired."

"Look, last I heard the assassin was down on the mezzanine. But the teams on the bridge think they might have spotted him. Nobody knows for sure."

She hauled him easily back inside and tossed him to the floor. "Get out of here."

He scrambled away at top speed, still half crouched as he raced for the elevator.

There indeed mercenaries in the next room, but there were also bodies, and the mercenaries seemed to be more occupied with whatever had killed them. It was child's play for Shepard's team to each pick a target, and tend seconds later half a dozen more bodies littered the floor.

She went to the door that two of them had been trying to open, seeing a third body lying there with a gunshot wound to the head. "Any of us?" She asked.

Everyone shook their head, which didn't sit right with her. She drew her pistol as Tali worked on the door, but when it opened there was no one inside except salarians, all clearly scared witless. One of them stepped forwards, raising a pistol.

"Are you guys alright in here?" Shepard asked, ignoring the gun.

"Get back get back, I'll shoot!"

"Relax," Jacob said. "Don't do anything you'll regret."

"I don't wanna hurt you, but I will." Shepard took another step inside and he waved the gun. It was wavering so badly she doubted he would hit her anyway. "I said get back. I'll do it." His arm sagged and his voice turned pleading. "Please, don't make me do it."

"Hey, I'm not the bad guy here. What's your name?"

"I, I'm Telon. Don't. don't come any closer." She noticed Miranda advancing into the room and waved her back.

"Telon, I'm Commander Shepard. I don't work with the mercs and I don't wanna hurt you. I'm just here to help."

"I… all right, here. I don't feel so." And he fainted. She looked back to Tali, who just shrugged.

"Telon!" Another salarian broke away from the pack and rushed to his side. Guns cocked behind her and she raised both arms, half to shield him in case of misfire, half to tell her squad to back off. "He's my brother I just want to see if he's alright." He looked up. "Are you the ones who shot the merc?"

"It wasn't me. Your brother didn't do it?" That was odd. She had assumed that the third dead merc had just been shot by the salarians.

"No. Telon was standing here with me."

"What happened exactly?"

"The merc found us and shouted at us to move. We panicked, and he shouted more. I thought he was going to kill us. Then, his head just exploded. Telon picked up the merc's gun but we were too afraid to leave. Then you showed up."

"A perfect headshot, with no collateral damage. Very impressive." Garrus was at her side now.

"You've done it as well I seem to recall."

"And it was impressive then as well."

She chuckled and turned back to the salarian. "There are still mercs up here. You should get to the lower levels.

"No need to convince me. Telon, come on, get up." Telon was rousing, and his brother helped him to his feet.

"Can we go home now?"

"Yeah, we're getting out of here." As the rest of the salarians filed past the brother turned to her and smiled. "Thank you."

She left the cramped storage room and led her people over to the ramp that led to the bridge. There was a terminal active and a woman's voice coming from it, demanding status reports.

"Y'know, you can let some of them go by without poking at them," Garrus said.

"Where's the fun in that?" She said, opening the line.

"It's about time. What's going on down there?"

"I'm afraid your men aren't able to report Nassana."

"Damn it!"

The line closed, leaving Shepard with a big grin on her face.

"I'm starting to think Parasini was right," she said to Garrus and Miranda as they moved up.

"About what?"

"I love nailing asari."

They reached the top of the ramp and Tali got to work on the door.

"Her security is not as impressive as I would have expected," she said as she worked.

Miranda was checking her weapons. "She's just a crime boss, there's got to be a limit on what she can hire."

"If we got through you can bet the assassin did as well," Jacob said.

Kasumi shrugged. "We're sad about that?"

The door cycled open and immediately a hail of gunfire came at them, sending them diving for cover. Shepard opened up her sniper rifle and sighted it down the bridge, noting at least a dozen mercenaries deeply entrenched. There were two rocket drones as well, still in target seeking mode thankfully.

"Garrus," she waited until he nodded. "Rocket drones."

"Right." He unfolded his own sniper rifle and got prone. She mirrored him, taking the drone on the right. Their shots rang in unison, his bullet striking the drone directly in the targeting apparatus while hers blew one of the tripod legs away.

There was a lull in the enemy fire as the mercenaries looked back to see what had happened. She didn't even need to give the order, every one of her squad opened fire, putting a wall of bullets down the bridge. Half a dozen mercs dropped at once, the rest falling back as fast as they could. Out of cover they fell easily.

"Right." Shepard got to her feet and reloaded. "Get their heat sinks and let's get in there."

**AN:-** I never got the character of Seryna. Any other character like her would just be a one shot to give you the mission and never be interacted with again but she had extra lines and you didn't talk to her at the place you found her. It just felt like she was supposed to be a bigger character than she was.

I wasn't so sure about how easy it was to smash through the glass. Surely a high rise building built by a crime boss worried about assassination would be a bit more secure? So my headcanon is that in Mass Effect glass has a special hardening process that just hasn't been applied to the glass in this towers yet because they're under construction. If something similar was tried on Nassana's window the glass would be bulletproof.

The thing with the mechs was just me looking at the design of the LOKIs and noticing that they don't lift their feet as high as a normal person.

I loved the explosives on the elevator bit, for all its disgusting glory. Plus Tali calling it an old Shepard trick.

I really liked moving the elevator conversation to here, and expanding it to involve a few other people. I really hope Kasumi feels in character here, because I'm so not used to her. I actually made an effort to use her in a few missions to try and get a feel for her voice. She has a sense of humour, but not one I'm really used to writing. Joker's style of sarcasm I can do, actual jokes not so much.

Part of the point of this team was the joking opportunities. Now Jacob and Miranda's loyalty missions are done they're loosening up, and of course Garrus and Tali were there last time, so they fall into it naturally. And Kasumi of course just has a sense of humour, which means she fits in well. As the other loyalty missions get done more and more characters will get included in these sorts of missions. (Yes I finally decided how I'm going to organise having such a huge cast list.)

I loved writing Shepard as Batman. I'm starting to take a few more liberties with canon, but still trying to retain the Paragon feel. She knew her enhanced muscles wouldn't really drop him, but it was a quick way to get the information out of him.


	33. Chapter 32: Off Course

**AN:-** I think we're just about to halfway. Meaning this thing will be in the region of 200,000 words and 60 chapters, the longest single work I have ever written. Urgh

**Chapter Thirty-Two: Off Course**

Nassana had at least three guards in the room with her. It was a sizeable office overlooking Ilium, glass covering most of the curved back wall. She was standing looking out at the skyline, a pistol at her waist. As the door opened she turned, her eyes going wide when she saw who it was.

"Shepard… but… you're dead."

Shepard shrugged, doing her best to ignore the three assault rifles now pointing at her. "I got better."

"And now you're here to kill me."

"You're really paranoid aren't you?"

"Don't patronise me Shepard."

"Charming as ever."

"I'm sure you find this all very ironic. First you take care of my sister. And now you're here for me." Well that's not ironic really. Bad luck. Coincidence. Not ironic. "Well you made it this far. Now what?"

There was a noise from the ducts above her. She kept her face blank. "You really think I'm here to kill you?"

"Do you have another reason for destroying my tower? Decimating my security?"

"I'm just looking for someone."

"You expect me to believe that? Is it credits? Is that what you want? Just tell me your price, we can make this problem go away."

Another light noise from above, closer to Nassana now. "All the credits in the world won't make this problem go away Nassana."

"Who the hell gave you the right to play god? I may not be perfect, but look at you. We both kill people for money, what's the difference?"

"You kill people because you think they're beneath you. They're in your way. I kill people when they leave me no choice."

"You've got a choice. You don't have to do this. I can tell you…" one of her guards suddenly turned, sweeping her assault rifle up to cover the ceiling. "What?"

"I heard something."

"Dammit. Check the other entrances." She jabbed a finger at Shepard. "You stay put. When I'm finished dealing with this nuisance, you and I are going to-."

Motion flashed at the edge of her vision. One of the guards went down before Shepard even saw what happened. A dark blur shot across the room to the second guard, twisting their neck hard. In the brief second as he found his next target she was able to focus on him.

The assassin moved like liquid, flowing easily across the room and through the defences of the final guard. Shepard was good in close combat, and she knew people who were truly gifted, but none of them even came close to this. He moved like a dancer, his every step sure and certain as he dispatched the final guard and moved to Nassana, who had drawn her pistol. He took it from her with a deft flick of the hand and before Shepard could even begin to wonder how he had pushed the gun into Nassana's midsection.

The gunshot was muffled by her body, but the effects were no less potent. The bullet left an ugly hole in her back as it exited, and she began to gasp for air. He laid her down onto the desk and folded her arms across her chest as she died, then stepped back and brought his hands before his own face, murmuring something soft and lyrical.

"Impressive," Jacob said. "You certainly know how to make an entrance."

He ignored them, continuing with his recitation. It sounded to Shepard a lot like prayer.

"I was hoping to talk to you." She said when he had been speaking for nearly a full minute.

He looked up, his large eyes glinting in the light from the city. "I apologise. But prayers for the wicked must not be forsaken." His voice was throatier than she would have guessed, and it sounded as though he had a smoker's rasp as well.

"Do you really think she deserves it?"

"Not for her. For me. The measure of an individual can be difficult to discern by actions alone." He stepped around the desk and she noted how physically fit he looked. Not that she had much experience with drell, but he looked to be in peak form. "Take you, for instance. All this destruction, chaos. I was curious to see how far you'd go to find me. Well here I am."

"How'd you know I was coming at all?"

"I didn't. Not until you marched in the front door and started shooting. Nassana had become paranoid. You saw the strength of her guard force. She believed one of her sisters would kill her. You were a valuable distraction."

"You used me so you could kill her?" That didn't sit right with her. She would have been able to make peace with killing Nassana herself, and if she couldn't stop an assassin so be it, but to be used like that without her knowledge.

"I needed a diversion, you needed to speak to me. You certainly fulfilled your end of the bargain." There was humour in his voice. Once more she found herself confronted with an individual who didn't match her expectations at all. "What would you like to discuss?"

"Someone's been abducting entire human colonies. We're going to stop them. We already know the culprits, a race called the Collectors."

I've heard of them. Attacking the Collectors would require passing through the Omega 4 Relay. No ship has ever returned from doing so."

"They told me it was impossible to get to Ilos too."

He smiled. A very human expression. She wondered whether it was natural or learned. "A fair point. You've built a career on performing the impossible. This was to be my last job. I'm dying. Low survival odds don't concern me. The abduction of your colonists does."

"I hadn't heard that," she asked, shooting a look to Miranda, who looked just as puzzled. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Giving me this opportunity is enough. The universe is a dark place. I'm trying to make it brighter before I die. Many innocents died today. I wasn't fast enough and they suffered." She was already getting a different feeling from him. Not quite the cold assassin she had feared. "I must atone for that. I will work for you Shepard." The little smile again. "No charge."

"Glad to have you aboard." She extended a hand and they shook. "Now let's get gone before the police decide to investigate the war zone we just created."

* * *

><p>"I've heard impressive stories Krios." At her requet Jacob was helping her welcome the new recruit again. "Sounds like you'll be an asset to the team." He looked to Shepard. "That is if you're comfortable having an assassin at your back."<p>

"I've accepted a contract. My arm is Shepard's."

"Uh huh. Don't know about you, but I'm loyal to more than my next paycheck." She raised her eyebrow at that. It sounded like this was a personal problem.

"Obviously he is too," she said to defuse the tension a little. "He's doing this mission gratis. What's your concern?"

"I don't like mercenaries. An assassin is just a precise mercenary."

"An assassin is a weapon. A weapon doesn't choose to kill. The one who wields it does." Thane gave her a searching look that she met in kind. There was clearly going to be a lot to learn about this one. "Where shall I put my things? I'd prefer someplace dry, if anything is available."

EDI sprang into life at the end of the table. "The area near the Life Support plant on the crew deck tends to be slightly more arid than the rest of the ship."

"Ah. An AI?" he took in stride, bowing to EDI. "My thanks."

"He seems quite civil.," EDI said after he left. Her tone sounded pleased. Shepard made a mental note to talk to Joker, EDI was developing a lot more personality than she had expected.

Jacob snorted and she gave him another look. "We need all the help we can get. He's not what I expected in an assassin. He might surprise you."

"Yeah, and he may not." He stood straight and saluted her before leaving.

"EDI?"

"Yes Commander Shepard?"

"Estimated travel time to Pragia?"

"Four days at all speed."

"Tell Joker to lay in the course. I don't want to put this off any longer."

"Uh, that may not be an option right now Commander." EDI had obviously patched Joker through to her.

"What's up Joker?"

"Urgent message coming in from TIM himself."

"Might as well take it while I'm here." She stepped forwards as the table retracted into the floor and the holographic lines began to extend from the ceiling, the lights dimming to allow a good translation of data.

Before her the Illusive Man shimmering into existence, still sat in that damn chair and still smoking that damn cigarette. She crossed her arms as he appeared, wishing she could control herself a little better around him. She couldn't help it though, everything about him set her teeth on edge. She'd rather have been talking directly to a Reaper.

"Shepard, we caught a break. I intercepted a distress call from a turian patrol. They've stumbled onto a Collector ship beyond the Korlus system." Huh. "The turians were wiped out but not before they crippled the Collector vessel. I need you to board that ship and get some hard data on the Collectors. Find us a way to get to their homeworld."

She wasn't sold quite yet. "Hard to imagine how a turian patrol could take out a Collector ship."

He took a drag from his cigarette and frowned at her. "Reports indicate the hull's intact, but all systems seem to be offline. They could be making repairs as we speak. I'm not saying it won't be dangerous, but we can't let an opportunity like this slip us by."

Something about his manner struck her as cagey. Normally she couldn't read him, but he seemed extra-determined to make her march right into the dragon's mouth this time. "If they had a patrol out there, why aren't the turians sending a recon team in?"

"They will. Eventually. But I intercepted the transmission." So there's also a ship full of injured and wounded turians needing assistance and not getting it. Wonderful. "In the meantime, we're feeding them false reports. You're close enough that you can be in and out before the turians learn the truth."

"Are you sure this information's good?" She wanted to get to the bottom of what he was hiding from her. No direct orders from him since she had been brought back and now suddenly he was doing everything short of threatening her to get her to go.

"Information is my weapon Shepard, it's good."

She bit the inside of her cheek. No matter how she approached the situation he had the upper hand. Even if she could afford not to check out this lead she would still have to for fear that he would send away someone from her crew. "Send me the coordinates and I'll take care of it."

"Already sent." Of course they are. "Once you're aboard the ship establish an uplink with EDI. She'll mine the data for information regarding the Omega 4 Relay. Good luck Shepard."

She ended the call feeling the urge to take a shower. Already dreading the confrontation she was about to have with Jack she made her way first to the cockpit, where Joker was just entering the navigation data.

"Coordinates punched in,"

"ETA?"

"Two days? One if we go hot."

"Might as well go hot. We're on a strict deadline here after all." She sighed and looked past him to the void beyond. "Let's go find us a Collector ship."

* * *

><p>"Jack?"<p>

"Finally time to get my shit done?"

"Not yet."

"Fuck you say?"

Shepard was finding it hard to pick her out of the dark. Given her new eyes' night vision capabilities it was a little disconcerting. "New orders came through. Straight from TIM himself. We're hunting down a Collector ship."

Jack's face appeared right in front of hers, upside down and furious. "You promised me Shepard."

She fought the urge to step back. "I know Jack. And believe me I would rather be helping you right now. But TIM's not giving me a chance."

The biotic dropped to the floor in a crouch, her boots making the metal ring. "Who the fuck is Tim?"

"Uh," Shepard had forgotten she was using the nickname. "The Illusive Man. T-I-M. It's Joker's thing."

Jack held her position, looking Shepard straight in the eye. "I promise you Jack. Once we've done this, you're my priority. But I can't go against his orders. Not yet."

She was silent for a moment longer, then a vicious smile spread across her face. "TIM huh? I like it." She backed away, heading back to her bench. "I better be next."

"I promise."

**AN:-**Yeah like I said, about halfway. Everything up to the Collector ship is just collecting people. Then all the loyalty missions, then the final assault. Hopefully some of the loyalty missions won't take so long though, so maybe it'll only be about 180,000 words.

Urgh.

I'm making an effort to write Jack. I hope I'm getting it right. Some people write her as swearing with every other word, but I don't think that's quite accurate. Sometimes she can go an entire conversation without a single swear-word.


	34. Chapter 33: The Collectors

**AN:-** After the super short last chapter I thought I'd spoil you with an enormous one.

**Chapter Thirty-Three: The Collectors**

"We have a visual on the Collector ship Commander."

The entire team was gathered in the cargo bay, ready for the drop off. Shepard was up in the cockpit as Joker brought them in.

"Very low emissions." EDI sprang to life besides them. "Passive infrared temperatures suggest most systems are offline. Thrusters are cold."

"That thing's massive," Joker said. "How the hell'd the turians take it out?"

"LADAR scans do not detect any hull breaches on the side facing us. I detect no mass effect field distortions. It appears the drive core is offline."

"Landing in thirty seconds Commander. Good luck."

"Thirty seconds?" Shepard said as she marched back to the CiC. "I'm not sure if the elevator will get me there fast enough, but sure."

* * *

><p>Garrus took the shuttle in, right in between the protruding struts and weird architecture. They had identified a likely landing spot using the Normandy's scanning technology, and they would just have to hope that they could find a terminal or uplink point before any Collectors left found them.<p>

"We keep this simple," Shepard said. "Heavy hitters up front, that means Jacob, Zaeed and Grunt on point. Garrus, you're with me and Thane, centre stage. Miranda, Kasumi, Tali and Mordin keep back up. If you see an opportunity to do some damage take it, but otherwise stay support."

"What about me and blue one?" Jack asked.

"Flanking. No offence but neither of you fit the team."

"So what?"

"Do damage." Shepard twisted back in her seat to see Jack picking her nails with a wicked looking knife. "Can you manage that?"

"What do you think?"

"I also find this plan reasonable Shepard," Samara said.

As they piled out of the shuttle and the three front liners went to scout ahead EDI started to chatter in her ear, something about EM Frequencies and telemetry that she had no time to deal with. "Cut to the chase EDI."

Joker's voice replaced her "This is the same ship we fought on Horizon."

Garrus had been listening in. "Maybe the defence towers softened it for the patrol ship."

Miranda came up behind her. "The missing colonists might be aboard, if they're still alive."

"You heard her people, this might be a rescue mission as well."

"Nothing about this strikes you as odd?" Garrus asked as they moved forwards, following Jacob's directions. "The same ship just happens to be the one we run across?"

"Everything about this is odd," she said back. "TIM was pretty determined to get us out here."

"So what's the real plan?"

"That was the plan." Ahead of them Jacob was beckoning her forwards. "Hang on."

She drew level with Jacob, who was looking at a pod similar to the ones they had seen on Horizon.

"Anyone inside?"

He shook his head.

"Keep moving. And stay alert."

He nodded and hurried across the room, Zaeed and Grunt covering him. One by one the entire team made their way across the room and up the ramp on the other side.

"I do not like this many open spaces," Tali said as they watched Kasumi run for cover.

"Me neither. Go."

When she got to the top of the ramp she found the team clustered around a pile of dead bodies. Most of them looked human, but some of them were too badly decomposed to be sure. She recognised natural decomposition, and this wasn't it. It almost looked as though they had been liquefied.

"Why would the Collectors just leave a pile of bodies lying around?" Garrus asked.

"They must have been used for testing," Miranda said.

Tali nodded agreement. "If they were a control group they would have been discarded at the end of the experiment."

Thane had his head bowed, in prayer or sadness she couldn't tell. "There are worse things than death."

"Like being a test subject for twisted aliens." Zaeed spat to one side of the bodies.

"That it doesn't make this any better," Samara said.

"Come on people," Shepard said. "We can't do anything for them now."

A short distance away was a pile of discarded weapons and tech. Shepard ordered them to search through it, despite how ghoulish it felt. She retrieved an anti-material rifle that was mostly intact, and Grunt found himself a new shotgun he declared to be acceptable. Aside from that the tech was too badly broken to use.

They kept moving, the twisting organic architecture giving their every step an off-kilter feel. The floor gave way beneath their feet sometimes, feeling more like they were walking on mud than solid ground, and beneath the dull brown-orange substance that coated the walls she could hexagons that glowed lightly. It felt like the inside of an insect hive. Given what the Collectors looked like she found the comparison apt enough, although she didn't like to think what happened when something disturbed the hives of wasps and bees.

"It seems strange," Miranda said through the comm unit.

"What?"

"No Collectors. If the ship had been disabled I would expect bodies, maybe some debris or damage."

"As far as I can tell nothing's been disturbed here at all," Jacob said from the front. "Of course, it doesn't look like they clean up after themselves."

"Nothing about this is right," Shepard said. "Close up formation, scouts without eye lines, everyone watch each other's back. Jack, Samara, move back and protect the techs."

The two biotics nodded and dropped back to follow her orders. The three scouts waited until they had caught up before moving forwards, and she made sure that the backup was close on their heels before nodding for Jacob to lead them on.

A little further down they found what looked like a medical bed, with a body inside it. "Careful now," she told them. "Scouts to the next door, Garrus, Thane, Samara support."

"Affirmative Shepard."

They moved away as the rest of the team went to the bed. As she came round the side Shepard saw that the body inside was a Collector.

"Were they experimenting on one of their own?" Miranda asked.

"EDI, we're going to upload some data to you. See if you can figure out what they were up to." Shepard pointed and Kasumi went to establish the link. It was beginning to worry Shepard how much the Collector's technology reflected their own. She would have suspected that a species living beyond an unpassable relay wouldn't exactly stay current with developments, but instead they seemed at the cutting edge of it.

"Data received, analysing. The Collectors were running baseline genetic comparisons between their species and humanity."

That surprised her. "Are they looking for similarities?"

"I have no hypothesis on their motivation. All I have are the preliminary results. They reveal something remarkable. A quad strand genetic structure, identical to traces collected from ancient ruins. Only one race is known to have this structure, the Protheans."

"Keelah." Tali sounded sick. "The Protheans didn't vanish, they're just working for the Reapers now."

EDI was back on her ear. "These are no longer Protheans Shepard. Their genes show distinct signs of extensive genetic rewrite. The Reapers have repurposed them to suit their needs."

"You'd think somebody would have picked up on this," Miranda said.

"No one has had an opportunity to study a Collector genetic code in this much detail. I've already matched two thousand alleles to recorded fragments. This Collector likely descends from a Prothean colony in the Styx Theta cluster. But there are signs of extreme alteration. Fewer chromosomes, reduced heterochromatin structure. Elimination of superfluous junk sequences."

The thought made her sick to her very core. She stared down at the body, wondering if that was the fated that awaited them all. "The Reapers didn't wipe out the Protheans, they turned them into monsters and enslaved them." She resisted the urge to rub her forehead. There was an enormous migraine building behind her eyes.

"They're working for the Reapers now," Miranda said, almost softly. "We have to stop them."

She nodded. "Move out." The rest of the team moved to the door, but Miranda stayed behind with her.

"Shepard?"

"No need to worry about your investment Miranda, I'm fine." She gestured to the body. "No species should have to suffer through that."

"I'm not disagreeing Shepard. But we're fifty thousand years too late to stop this, and just in time for it to happen to us."

"Of course." Shepard tightened her grip on her rifle. "Move up."

The next room held more of the pods. Dozens of them up on the ceiling. Shepard toggled the comm unit at once. "EDI?"

"I detect no signs of life in the pods Shepard. It is probable the victims died when the ship lost primary power."

"Shit."

There were more ramps leading out of the room, which Shepard pointed them to. "Let's get this over with. There must be a terminal somewhere.""

As they raced up, deeper into the bowels of the ship, Joker pinged her.

"What is it Joker?"

He got right to the point, which made her nervous enough. "On a hunch I had EDI check the ship's telemetry against the attack which destroyed the Normandy. It's the same ship."

"What?" Shepard froze halfway up a ramp. "Say again."

"The ship you're on right now, the ship which attacked Horizon. It's the same ship that destroyed the original Normandy."

"Shepard what is it?" Miranda was at her side."

"Miranda tell everyone to pull back, we're leaving right now."

"What? Shepard talk to me." Shepard was already halfway down the ramp.

"Shepard, stop!"

She kept going, right back to the room with the pods, before someone grabbed her shoulder. "Shepard!"

Her vision was tunnelling, but at the sound of his voice snapped sharply back into focus. Garrus was staring at her, as worried as she'd ever seen. "It's the ssme ship Garrus. This is the ship that destroyed the Normany. Two years, same ship every time. This is a trap."

"Shepard, think," Miranda had caught up to them as well. "We need the information this ship could provide. We need EDI to upload with the ship. And the Illusive Man assured us it was disabled by the turians."

"Screw the Illusive Man. He wanted us on this ship. I knew he was pushing too hard."

"If the Illusive Man was pushing then it's because we need this data." Miranda grabbed her shoulder as well. "Shepard, please listen to me. We don't know anything about the Collectors. How to find their homeworld, how to get through the relay, nothing about their defensive capabilities. We can't stop now."

"Okay." She was breathing fast, and hadn't even realised it. She took a few deep breaths in and steadied herself. "Okay, you're right." She looked around and realised they were alone. "Where's everyone else?"

Miranda stepped back, apparently convinced her commander wasn't about to go crazy again. "I told them to hold position."

"Good. Can't let them see this."

"Yes, watching their Commander run screaming from the room is much better for morale." Apparently convinced she wasn't going to go crazy again, Garrus had resumed his sarcasm.

"Screaming?"

"Possibly I'm exaggerating a little."

"Miranda, tell Samara to join Jacob at the front, Jack falls back to the tech support. We need as much defence as possible. If we're walking into a trap, and I know we are, then we should at least be ready to fight back."

"And us?" Miranda asked.

"We stay central. Garrus and I can protect front and back with sniper support, and you're my cavalry."

"Understood Commander."

"Good, move out."

No one mentioned anything as they rejoined the squad, but she could feel everyone's eyes on her, wondering what had just happened. Thankfully Joker's broadcast hadn't been to all of them, or they would have been a lot more nervous.

At the top of the ramps they finally left the cramped confines, but it wasn't much of an improvement. A massive cavernous space that stretched into the bowels of the ship, the end obscured by a dull orange glow that could easily have been from engines. But worse than anything else were the pods spread all around the walls. She could barely even take it in. Millions, maybe even billions.

"Keelah."

Garrus was the first to find something useful to say. "They could take every human in the Terminus System and still not have enough to fill these pods."

"They're going to target Earth." Miranda's voice sounded dull and hollow.

Shepard took a breath and looked away from the pods. "Not if we stop them."

The path led down a ramp, and at the bottom they could see a control panel of some sort, sitting in the middle of a hexagonal platform, made from a different metal to the rest of the ship.

"Orders?"

"I want two guards at the top of this ramp. Grunt, Jacob." They moved off. "Tali, Garrus, Miranda, with me. Jack, you too. Everyone else keep off the platform, just in case." She had had far too many experiences with traps to bring everyone onto the tiny platform. "Guard this position. We might be in trouble in a minute."

"Don't worry." Samara took a heavy pistol off her belt and unfolded it. "We will hold."

Shepard nodded, then led her team onto the platform. "EDI, we're setting up a bridge between you and the Collector ship. See if you can get anything useful from the databanks."

"Data mine in progress Shepard."

It was all too easy. Which was of course the cue for everything to explode. The ship shook hard enough to knock everyone off their feet, and sparks flew from the console, burning Tali's suit.

"Uh," Joker had apparently left the comm line open. "That can't be good."

Shepard took a quick headcount and saw everyone getting back to their feet. "Everyone's alright Joker. What just happened?"

"Major power surge. Everything went dark but we're back up now."

EDI took over. "I managed to divert the majority of the overload to non-critical systems. Shepard it was not a malfunction, this was a trap."

"Of course it is." Shepard turned to her team. "Get off the-"

Before she could even finish the sentence the platform shot straight up, fast enough to force them down to the floor. Ignoring Jack's curses Shepard struggled back to her feet, watching as the cavern shot by them, the pods a blur as the platform carried them deep into the Collector ship.

"We need a little help here EDI."

"I am having trouble maintaining connection. There is someone else in the system."

Out of the gloom she saw a dark blur moving fast towards them. "Up people. We're about to have company."

Her earpiece crackled. "Shepard, we are under fire."

"Can you hold them Samara?"

There was a burst of static gunfire, then the asari came back. "We can hold for now. It would be for the best if you returned soon."

Gunfire strafed their platform and Shepard ducked behind cover. "Working on it."

Their platform seemed to be slowing, coming to a rest somewhere in the middle of the floor. She leaned out and saw the other platform closing in, three Collectors keeping up constant fire with their assault rifles. She took her sniper rifle off her back, setting the AM Rifle to one side, and sighted, quickly finding a target. The rifle bucked and the target dropped, while at the same time a biotic blast threw another one into the abyss. The third one ducked for cover, but his platform was still rotating, and a moment later he was in their sights again, and a short volley put him down.

The two platforms connected with a jolt, but before Shepard could think of any sensible orders another round of gunfire sparked over them from the opposite direction. Two more platforms were coming towards them, a dozen more Collectors riding them. "Jack, Miranda, Tali, left flank. Garrus with me."

She didn't bother to watch them, rolling out from cover and sighting on one Collector. It was a difficult shot with the platforms moving so quickly, but she had made harder. Blood spewed from the Collector's head and it dropped. On her flank Garrus fired as well, and his target slammed back against the centre of the platform.

They reloaded quickly and found two more targets, dropping them before the platforms came level. The final two they finished with their pistols, just as Miranda was reporting the all clear from her side.

"I would have expected more resistance," Garrus said as he worked the action on his rifle.

Four more platforms rose from the mist.

"You just had to say it didn't you?"

Her strategy wouldn't work on the new assault. "Time for crazy?" Garrus asked.

"Time for crazy," she agreed. "Jack!" The biotic whirled round. "Which one do you like?"

She seemed to read Shepard's mind, and flashed a psychotic grin. "Give me a boost?"

Shepard dropped her rifle, interlocking her fingers and holding them out in front of her. Jack sprinted towards her, torso already flaring blue, and stepped onto Shepard's hands. Shepard lifted as hard as she could, her enhanced muscles doing their work and sending Jack flying through the air, a ball of explosive blue energy. She landed on her chosen platform with an explosion that sent at least two Collectors flying.

The other three platforms, were getting closer, and Shepard could spy one of the giant husks that could throw biotic bolts. "Perfect," she muttered. "Miranda, Tali, cover the left side. Garrus, take as many from the right as you can." She grabbed the Widow and opened it, gritting her teeth and crouching.

As gunshots exploded around her and the mad laughter of Jack floated over them she exploded forwards, driving hard out of cover, off her own platform in two strides and onto the one which had locked onto them. The third platform bearing the husk was close now, and it was watching her approach with utter indifference.

She reached the edge of the platform and launched herself forwards, covering the distance between the platforms in a heartbeat. She landed hard on the other side, rolling and losing grip on her rifle. She skidded to a halt with her Carnifax already in hand and open, emptying the sink and dropping it as she sprinted into the attack, drawing her submachine gun in her other hand and leaping onto the husk's back, sticking the gun in between two plates and squeezing the trigger. The gun emptied in seconds but didn't do anything to slow it down.

It was beginning to heat up, and a blue glow was spreading down its right arm. She looked up and saw it was aiming towards Miranda and Tali, who were trapped behind cover by half a dozen Collectors. As the husk drew back its arm she yanked hard, changing it aim at the last moment and sending the burst right down the line of Collectors. All but one of them was ripped apart by the blast.

That just left the husk to deal with. She sprang back and landed near her rifle, grabbing it and bringing it to bear. The report was enormous, and the recoil kicked the gun back into her elbow. The bullet ripped a hole clean through the husk, and it dropped immediately.

Working the action she forced herself up to find the battle finished.

"EDI?"

"I have regained control of the platform Shepard."

As she staggered back to the first platform she said. "Knew you wouldn't let us down."

"I always work at optimal capacity."

"Did you get what we needed?"

"I found data that would help us successfully navigate the Omega 4 Relay. I have also found a turian distress call that served as the lure for this trap. The Collectors were the source. It is unusual."

The platform beneath their feet began to move, at less breakneck speed than before. "What's un-" the link with the other team chattered and she switched transmissions. "Sit-rep?"

"Kasumi's down." Jacob was barely audible over the sound of gunfire. "Looks bad."

"Hold position, we're on our way back."

"They've forced us to the bottom of the ramp."

"Garrus, they're going to need cover fire. EDI, whatever it was it can wait."

"Uh, Commander, we got another problem." Joker was back online. She readied herself for bad news as she unfolded her sniper rifle again. "The Collector ship is powering up. You need to get out of there before their weapons come online, I'm not losing another Normandy."

They were above their starting point, and could see nearly two dozen Collectors trying to make their way past the wall of fire Jacob, Grunt and Zaeed were putting out. Garrus and Shepard both fired into the crowd, the powerful rounds from the Widow knocking down three in one shot. The others added their fire as well, able to shoot over the top of the Collector's cover.

The platform locked into place and they piled out, switching to assault weapons and adding to the fire of the others. Above them the Collectors started to retreat, giving Shepard time to check on Kasumi, who was being tended to by Mordin.

"Situation?"

"Multiple gunshot wounds torso stomach leg and both arms. Caught in initial Collector attack. Artery clipped inside internal bleeding stabilised but severe condition must get to medical bay within twenty minutes or fatal bleed may occur."

Shepard dropped her head, closing her eyes for a moment as she ran through possible escape routes. Very few were forthcoming.

"We need to go people," she said. "Grunt, back here."

The krogan stomped back, firing his rifle all the way. "Is she dead yet?"

"No. And we're gonna keep her that way. Pick her up, keep her protected."

"You would waste me on protecting a-"

"Yes. There's no time. We need to break the line now."

He grunted, but after she met his stare with her own he backed down, shouldering his rifle and scooping Kasumi up in his arms. She moaned slightly, but thankfully was still unconscious.

"Jacob, Zaeed. Clear us a path any way you can. We make a break for it."

"Better be ready," Zaeed growled, ducking behind cover and loading something into his assault rifle.

"Shepard are you sure?" Miranda asked.

"No."

Zaeed fired, and an explosion blew a dozen Collectors apart. Shepard raced forwards, hearing the thud of Grunt's footfalls close behind her.

The chatter of assault fire kept up as they ran, the team doing everything they could to keep the Collector's back. Shepard fired her submachine gun again and again until it ran dry, then switched to her Carnifax, trying to aim enough to put Collector's down instead of just forcing them behind cover.

They hurtled down the ramps at top speed, but a door Shepard was sure had been open was closed, and they were forced to rush down a different hallway. "EDI," she yelled as she put a bullet cleanly through a Collector's eye. "Plot us a route back to the ship using projected scans of the ship and data as we enter rooms."

"Calculating…"

They came to a halt in a room with two doors, both locked.

"EDI."

"Working on it Shepard."

"Work faster," she said, surveying the field. There were Collectors pouring in from the tunnel they had just left, and very little cover on their side. Grunt was laying Kasumi down behind a rocky outcropping for Mordin to check up on her. The doctor caught her eye and shook his head before turning back to administer more medi-gel.

She bunkered down behind a boulder-like growth in the floor, drawing her sniper rifle. She checked her heat sinks, then leaned out of cover to find a target.

Before she could even focus on the Collectors something swarmed into view, a mass of tentacle legs and bulbous eyes that glowed sickly blue. It was the same sort of creature they had encountered on Horizon. She swore and ducked behind cover just as the particle beam lanced out, burning across their cover.

"Shepard?" It was Tali, right next to her and terrified.

"I don't…"

Another beam seared through the rock just above her head. Their cover was being eaten away by the beams. "The Collectors?"

"Almost all gone. Just that thing left."

"Okay." Shepard's mind was whirling as a third blast came close enough to make her shields pop. "They're vulnerable underneath." She toggled the squad communication open. "We need to find some way to get it to expose its underside."

Jack came back first. "I can do that."

She broke from cover before Shepard could say a word to stop her, biotics giving her speed as she sprinted across the room. She made it barely halfway before a particle beam melted the floor in front of her. She stumbled and fell, the beam retracting and burning towards her. The beam obscured the effect, but Jack screamed in agony.

"Jack!" She yelled.

Miranda broke cover and raced toward the smoking crater the biotic lay in. She grabbed Jack under the shoulders and hauled her back towards cover, but the beast was faster, firing again and catching Miranda across the flank. But in targeting Miranda it had made a fatal error, and Shepard took full advantage, sighting on its exposed underside with the Widow and firing, dropping the gun and firing a second shot with her sniper rifle almost immediately. At the same time Garrus and Jacob's rifles fired, and two more slugs bit deep into the underside of the monster. It wailed the same mechanical wail and began to sink to the floor.

"Crap." Shepard sprinted forwards to where Jack and Miranda still lay prone, well within the blast range. She noticed more movement and realised Jacob had had the same idea. She went for Jack while he went for Miranda.

The biotic wasn't moving, and her skin looked blistered and burned, but when Shepard grabbed her she twitched slightly, a faint moan just audible over the noise of the mechanical whining that preceded the explosion.

Behind her the whine grew louder, the pitch going higher until she couldn't hear it anymore. She threw Jack, wincing as she landed in the dust behind some rocks. Shepard jumped for cover, feeling the force of the explosion lift her higher into the air, the noise and heat enveloping her as she was thrown hard against the far wall, all the breath forced out of her as she crashed down.

"Come on Shepard, on your feet." She must have blacked out, because suddenly Garrus was hauling her up, dragging her over to one of the doors, now open. "EDI's got us covered. Shuttle's down here."

"Others?" She croaked.

"Taken care of."

"Let me go."

He let go of her arm, passing her the Widow, which he had apparently collected. She accepted it gratefully, although she felt too weak to hold it. Her legs moved without her thought, and she found herself keeping pace. A particle beam lanced over her head and she looked back in shock, but there were only ground troops chasing them. The beam carved through the centre of their lines. She looked to the front and saw Grunt turning back, a smoking particle gun in his hands.

"Oh, he found a new toy by the way."

"Thank you for the update Garrus."

They were hurtling downhill now, the ramp leading them straight down all the levels they had previously climbed. She focused on Thane's back, trying to keep pace with him as he led the way. At the bottom of the ramp they swung left and sprinted right for the shuttle, which was thankfully sitting right where they had left it.

They piled in, Garrus taking them up and out before the door was even fully closed. Kasumi was laid out on the medical bed at the back and Mordin got back to her after declaring Miranda and Jack to be 'intensive but not critical.' The shuttle pulled away with gunfire pinging at the hull, the crew inside stunned into silence.

Joker had brought the Normandy as close as he dared, and within seconds they were into the Cargo Bay, where Chakwas was waiting with her small medical team. Shepard helped them load the injured onto gurneys, then followed them into the elevator. After the medical team left she went one floor further, sprinting through the CiC to where Joker and EDI were arguing.

"I can't dodge this guy forever EDI, get us the hell out of here."

"Specify a destination Mr Moreau."

"Anywhere that's not here!"

"Very well, engaging mass effect core."

Stars slipstreamed in front of them and they disappeared into the void.

**AN:-**Oh this chapter took some writing.

There's a lot of emotional whiplash I was trying to put into this chapter. They start out regular joking and all, then the true nature of the mission and the trap becomes apparent, so they get serious, ten it all gets pretty bleak.

I tried to give everyone something to say or do. I think I got most of them.

Shepard's little breakdown was something I was both very certain and very unsure about. It needed to happen, it made sense to happen now, but still it felt a little off.

My Shepard has always been more emotive than the game's Shepard. In the first novelisation she held a lot of it in, but with tensions so high this time around she's letting a lot of it out. Cracks are starting to show in her calm demeanour. This was also the source of Miranda coming to help her. She's genuinely concerned about Shepard cracking under the pressure. Because with the exception of maybe Garrus no one knows quite as well as Miranda just how close to the edge Shepard is.

There was a lot of point to the injuries and the way they worked so badly in this chapter. 1st, this was the first mission in game when I lost both teammates and nearly all my health, basically the closest I came to dying I wanted to reflect that in this chapter. 2nd. The Collectors are supposed to be this big terrible enemy that can kill your troops in the final mission if you're unprepared. So given that you dive into their base utterly unprepared halfway through the game, of course they're going to get creamed. 3rd. The feel of this chapter was supposed to evoke the 'mid-point fake out battle' trope. Like in Season 7 of Buffy with the attack on Caleb's hideout that ends really really badly. Or in the movie Prince Caspian where the assault on Miraz's castle decimates the Narnian force. I actually came incredibly close to breaking with canon entirely here and actually killing one character right here and now in this chapter.

And also of course fair warning for the end of this book in that previous sentence. Not everyone will survive. Some are going to go down during the suicide mission.


	35. Chapter 34: Docked

**AN:-** And right back to short chapters for a while. Sorry

**Chapter Thirty-Four: Docked**

"Your turn Shepard."

"Leave it."

Chakwas folded her arms and glared. "Commander I must insist."

"Just tell me how we're doing."

The doctor sighed and turned to examine the three occupied beds. "Kasumi is stable but still in critical condition. She lost a lot of blood, and with the internal damage. It's up to her constitution now."

"Are you sure there's nothing more to be done?"

"Sooner or later there's nothing more that I can do. Fixing the damage is my work, actually healing them is the body's."

"Fine. Jack and Miranda?"

"As far as I can tell Jack was hit directly by a particle beam, but her biotic field appears to have protected her from the worst of the damage. My initial diagnosis rules out deep muscle damage. Most of the burns are first or second degree, but they cover almost her entire torso and head. But until they start to heal I won't be able to conduct a further examination."

"What's your concern?"

"These burns were received from a particle beam. My understanding is that those sorts of weapons carry a severe risk of radiation burn. Symptoms won't begin to show conclusively for a few days."

"And what would that mean for Jack?"

"If her biotic field protected her she'll just need to recover from the burns. A week or so. If not then she's going to get very sick very soon, and I don't have adequate facilities to deal with severe radiation sickness."

"And I would assume the same is true of Miranda?"

"That's a secondary concern with Miranda at the moment. She lost a significant portion of her abdomen and the muscle in her stomach when that blast hit her. I've done what I can with cybernetics and cloned grafting, but she's in bad shape."

"What are we looking at here?"

"A week minimum for Jack and Kasumi, assuming that Jack's burns are only superficial. Two weeks for Miranda. Possibly a month if they have radiation burns, and we'll need to visit a secure medical facility of some kind."

Shepard pinched the bridge of her nose. "Dammit."

"Now may I examine you?"

"I barely got scratched doctor, I'm fine."

"And aside from the physical?"

"I'm not really in the mood to discuss that doctor."

"Very well." She went to check on the monitors. "Come find me if you need anything."

* * *

><p>Joker was taking one of his rest periods when she came up to the cockpit. He slept on an entirely different schedule to the rest of the crew due to relay jumps coming at unusual times. Shepard slid into the co-pilot's chair and rubbed her eyes, wishing she had gotten any sleep. It was becoming impossible to determine what exactly was the cause of her latest bout of insomnia, and she had been avoiding the sleeping tablets.<p>

"EDI."

"Commander. How can I help?"

"When we were on the Collector ship you mentioned something unusual about the distress call the turians sent. What was the problem?"

"It was unusual because turian emergency channels have secondary encryption. It was corrupted in the message. It is not possible that the Illusive Man could have believed this call was genuine."

She closed her eyes and leaned back in the chair. "Why are you so sure?"

"I found the anomaly with Cerberus detection protocols. He wrote them."

"He knew it was a trap."

"Shepard?"

"Nothing EDI, just thinking aloud."

"Will there be anything else Commander?"

"Nothing for now EDI. Thanks for your work today."

There was a moment of silence, then the glowing blue orb appeared in its holder. "Thank you Commander."

She left the cockpit and made her way back down through the ship, nodding to the on-duty crew. As she crossed the CiC she noticed Rolston at his post. She walked over and cleared her throat to alert him to her presence.

"Oh, Commander."

She waved him down before he could stand and salute. "No need to salute. I wanted to ask about your family. Has there been anymore news from New Canton?"

He smiled. "Yes. New Canton was completely destroyed, but my wife and daughter left in the nick of time. They're resting in San Francisco."

"I'm very glad to hear that Rolston."

"Well." His expression sobered. "I knew a lot of good people on New Canton. Our mission has to succeed."

"Don't worry. I'll make sure of it."

He nodded to that and she smiled. "I'll leave you to it."

She made her way to the elevator, riding it up to her quarters, where she shrugged out of her uniform jacket and fell onto her bed.

* * *

><p>They spent two days docked at a refuelling station before things finally changed. Shepard was on her way to see the patients in the medical bay when Joker called her. "Call coming in from the Illusive Man Commander. Figure you've got a few words for him too."<p>

She didn't respond to that, but headed straight for the briefing room, where the communicator was already open.

"Shepard, looks like EDI extracted some interesting data before the Collector ship came back online."

"EDI told us the distress call originated from the Collectors." If he was going to cut straight to the chase she would as well. "You betrayed us. Just like I knew you would."

"We're at war. The Collectors are taking humans and every minute we waste is one more we give the enemy time to prepare."

"I know the stakes." _Better than you I'd wager._ "But we're supposed to be on the same side and I can't trust you."

"Without that information we don't reach the Collector homeworld. And you and every other human may as well be dead." He seemed to be losing patience with her, a fact which gave her no small measure of joy. "It was a trap, but I was confident in your abilities. And don't forget EDI, the Collectors couldn't have anticipated her. "

"You could have told me the plan. You say I'm important, but you sure try hard to get me killed."

"I needed the Collectors to believe they had the upper hand. Telling you could've tipped them off in any number of ways. Besides. I wouldn't have sent you in if I didn't think you could succeed."

"I don't risk people. There are always alternatives."

"You may not like being on the receiving end, neither would I, but the facts are with me." She folded her arms and glared at him, hoping the technology carried her expression. "As much as we try to avoid them, these decisions need to be made. But more importantly, it paid off. EDI confirmed our suspicions. The Reapers and Collector ships use an advanced Identify Friend/Foe system that the Relays recognise. All we need to do is get our hands on one of those IFFs."

"I was just on the Collector ship!" She finally let her temper out, spitting the words at him. "Why didn't you say anything about finding their IFF?"

"As I said, EDI just confirmed it." _And you wouldn't have been so insistent on this if you hadn't suspected it in the first place. _"Besides, you wouldn't have had time to find and extract it. But we have options. An Alliance science team recently determined that the great rift on the planet Klendagon is actually an impact crater from a mass accelerator weapon. A very old mass accelerator. I sent a team to find either the weapon or its target. They found both. The weapon was defunct but it helped us plot the flight path of the intended target. A 37 million year old derelict Reaper. We found it damaged and trapped in the gravity of a brown dwarf."

She reined herself back in. "I get the feeling this isn't going to be a simple 'swing by and pick up our package.'"

"We lost contact with Dr Chandana's team shortly after they boarded. Initial reconnaissance revealed no clues, and it was too risky to commit more resources. But now we need that IFF. I'll forward the coordinates to Joker. In the meantime, I suggest you tell your crew I didn't risk their lives unnecessarily. It will make things easier going forward."

_I'd love to,_ she thought as the hologram disassembled. _Unforutnately I'm not in a habit of lying to my crew._

"EDI, tell Chakwas I want an update on our wounded. We need to talk."

"Of course Shepard."

* * *

><p>Thankfully all three of the injured were now awake and sensate, even if it was only for brief periods of time. Miranda was doing the best of them so far, although she was moving stiffly and sounded like she had eaten several packs of cigarettes. Kasumi was finally starting to respond to treatment, and with Jack's skin beginning to clear Chakwas had ruled out the possibility of radiation burns, although one patch of skin on her shoulder had turned out to be a third degree burn, not a second.<p>

"We got lucky," Shepard explained to Miranda. "Very lucky."

"All things considered Shepard." She glanced down at the thick bandage encircling her stomach. "I think I should have stayed in cover."

"And left me to fry?" Jack croaked from her bed. "Thanks bitch."

"Come on people." It was impossible for her to tell whether the two were genuinely sniping at each other or bantering. She decided to play team parent anyway. "It's not like any of us came out of that one well."

"Well when you've been sunburned all over your tits you can complain too."

"Thank you for that Jack."

"So what's the reason for the meeting Shepard?" Jacob asked from the corner.

"We have some decisions to make. Our expedition means we now know how to get to the Collector homeworld. But we will need something called an IFF, and we can only retrieve it from a derelict Reaper."

Silence followed her statement, then a laugh from Jack. "Right. Nothing major."

"So the Illusive Man didn't sell us out?" Jacob asked. "Coulda fooled me."

"Lied to us, used us, needed access to the Collector data banks, necessary risk." Mordin was pacing by the desk, reading Chakwas' notes.

Shepard wasn't willing to let them start arguing about the necessity of what the Illusive Man had done. "Let's just hope this IFF works," she said.

"My analysis is accurate Shepard." EDI sprang to life on the medical bay terminal. Chakwas had allowed it to stay fixed for once, though she had protested it. "I have also determined the approximate location of the Collector homeworld based on navigational data from their vessel."

A digital readout sprang up, the galaxy, with highlighted systems. And one highlighted figure that made no sense.

"That can't be right," Miranda said.

"EDI doesn't make mistakes," Shepard said, though her first impression was much the same. "The Collector homeworld is located somewhere in the Galactic Core."

"Impossible," Tali said from her corner, as far away from the Cerberus members as she could get. "The core is just black holes and exploding suns, there are no habitable planets there."

Mordin was examining the display closely. "Could be artificial construction. Space station protected by powerful mass effect fields, radiation shields."

"Even the Collectors don't have that kind of technology," Jacob said.

"We've all seen what their masters are capable of," Shepard said. "They built the Mass Relays and the Citadel. Who's to say they can't build a space station surrounded by black holes?" She shook her head. It was perfect really. "No wonder nobody's ever returned from a trip through the Omega 4 Relay."

EDI's image returned. "The logical conclusion is that a small safe zone exists on the far side of the relay. A region where ships can survive. Standard relay transit protocols would not allow safe transport. Drift of several thousands kilometres is common and would be fatal in the galactic core. The Reaper IFF must trigger the relay to use more advanced encrypted protocols."

"So how long before we go in?" Jack asked. "I'm not exactly at my best."

Shepard shook her head, moving into the middle of the room. "Just because we can follow the Collectors through the Relay doesn't mean we can take them out. I don't wanna go after them until I know we're ready."

"Sooner or later we need that IFF," Jacob said. "I say why wait?"

Miranda tried to sit up, falling back with a wince. "It's a derelict Reaper. What if the Collectors are waiting for us?"

"Cheerleader has a point," Jack said, sounding grumpy at having to agree with her. "We just got ass-fucked pretty hard, and they were just the grunts."

"You're both right," Shepard cut them off before they could start arguing. "We've been beat up pretty bad. And we have no idea what could be waiting for us. We play this smart, we train. We learn how to work together as a team."

Jacob backed down. "Yes Commander."

"For now we need to rest up." She looked to Jack. "Chakwas says you've got about four more days before you're up and about again. Miranda, five days, Kasumi maybe a week. We've got some travel time ahead of us though, out to the rim. So you've got time."

"Why are we heading out to the rim?" Jacob asked.

"Business to take care of." She forced herself to smile, taking the sting out of her words. "I'd share, but it's classified a little above my pay grade."

"Understood Shepard." He unfolded his arms and pushed away from the wall. "I'll go see to the armoury. Got those new specs in now."

She nodded. "Good plan. Make sure that particle beam is ready to go as soon as possible. I think Grunt may be in love."

"Yes ma'am." He saluted and left.

"Right. We've all got things to do," she said to the people left. "Let's get to them."

The rest of the crew left, leaving only the injured, Chakwas and Shepard in the bay. Shepard turned to Jack. "Miranda already knows," she said.

"Should have figured."

"I'm sorry Jack." To her credit Miranda actually did sound regretful.

"By the time we reach Pragia you should be fully healed. You're sure about your plan?"

"Yes."

"Very well. Joker tells me transit time is five days."

"You said." Jack lay back on her bed, shrugging under her bandages. "Nothing else to talk about."

Shepard nodded to that and looked to Miranda. "You've got five to go. Rest up." She looked to Kasumi, but the thief was unconscious again. "Doctor?"

"Don't worry Shepard, everyone will be more than ready to charge into certain death again when you arrive."

**AN:-** Rarg. Didn't have fun with this chapter.

Looking back I realise I harped on about the Illusive Man being really insistent about them visiting the Collector Ship. There is a point to that, if anyone cares to guess. It just always struck me that he seems really pushy about wanting you on that ship, in what he knows is a trap. And of course in-game there's no option to refuse or put the mission off. You do it when he tells you, no questions asked. Railroading like that may be common in games, but in a story like this it requires explanation. Which I'll get to. Eventually (circa Chapter 55 if my guess is correct)

I spent way too long researching burns of varying degrees and severity while writing this. Most of the gunshot stuff I knew beforehand, and the quote about 'I do the fixing, body does the healing' comes from an actual medical article by a doctor about gunshot wounds. I've wanted to work it into a story since I first read it. As for the burns, I never ever want to research such a horrible subject again. I decided against giving Jack and Miranda radiation burns for a couple of reasons, but most of them are because a course of anti-radiation treatment would potentially put them out of action for weeks/months. Fighting a bad sunburn takes 3-4 days tops (which I know because I got very badly sunburned yesterday, funnily enough). Even a third degree burn can take 8+ weeks to fully heal. And of course Miranda's new cybernetic organs would take time, although Garrus is implied to be back on his feet the same day half his face is replaced by scrap metal, so presumably anti-inflammatories and pain killers are a lot more advanced in ME. Even so I always try and put in time to heal. Everyone bouncing back from broken limbs and gunshot wounds the next day just doesn't sit right with me as an author.

I like to think Garrus is there during that last conversation (up until everyone leaves) and just doesn't say anything. The people in the med-bay are Kasumi (unconscious), Miranda, Jack, Shepard, Tali, Jacob, Garrus, Mordin, Chakwas and EDI. Grunt and Zaeed aren't interested, Samara doesn't consider it relevant to know where they need to go, and Thane hasn't been with them long enough for Shepard to trust him or not.

I hope Jack's dialogue feels right (that's going to be a common complaint from me by the way). Although the line 'We just got a**-*****d pretty hard,' did feel a little gratuitous. (I don't like swearing very much out of story) Some of the Jack and Miranda stuff here is kind of a nod to the quite-popular ship of the two of them. It won't happen in my story (explicitly at least) but I am a fan of it and wanted to include it. Although if you are a fan the fic 'Clearly a Mistake' by Metal-Panda-Alex is one of the best I've read so far.

Quick bit of headcanon/explanation: I like to think that when you find guns on mission, they obviously aren't in great shape, especially whatever you find on the Collector ship. So either the Normandy's armoury has some sort of system for scanning the specs and recreating certain exotic weapons, or Jacob orders new ones in. It just stretches credulity that a busted up Widow AM Rifle you find in the middle of a Collector hive is in good enough shape to be used for regular missions immediately.

One last thing. I'd just like to give a shoutout to bluemarlin for being my most dedicated reviewer. It's always great to know someone's reading and enjoying (although please other people feel free to review, please, please?)


	36. Chapter 35: Pragia

**AN:- **Another big chapter for y'all.

**Chapter Thirty-Five: Pragia**

Shepard spent most of the time to Pragia locked in her cabin. She claimed to the crew that she was filing reports to the Illusive Man regarding their mission status, but in reality she was coming about as close to sulking as she let herself.

Three members of her crew in the medical bay, all with serious wounds, and all because the Illusive Man had lied to her and forced her into a situation she was deeply uncomfortable with. There was very little other way for her to think of it than 'violated.' He had violated her crew in a very real and tangible way. She sometimes joked with Joker about how the Normandy was more his body than his actual body, but in many ways they both knew it to be true. And the Illusive Man was able to use both the ship and her as he saw fit.

After three days EDI finally intruded on her moping, asking if she was okay. It was such a marked change from her usual blunt questioning that Shepard was hocked into responding honestly. "I'm tired EDI. Too many things I can't control."

There was a moment's pause, then the AI flashed open again. "I shall speak with Operative Lawson."

Wondering quite what that meant Shepard turned back to the datapad, reading up on Pragia. There wasn't a great deal in the codex, and she suspected Cerberus might have had something to do with that. Fast growing vegetation was a planetary staple, along with brutal electric and thunder storms. It sounded perfect for hosting a secret research base.

EDI blinked back on. "Miranda has just informed me that the cameras in this section of the ship appear to have suffered mechanical fault. It will be some time before they can be repaired."

"Thanks EDI."

"Good night Commander."

There were very few excuses left. She went down to her bed and changed into her night clothes. Another gift from Liara that had survived in storage and been shipped to them at her request. Unlike her fuzzy cartoon asari pajamas these were silk, a deep midnight blue with a button down shirt and long trousers. She could remember the last time she had worn these in vivid detail. Although more specifically she could remember the last time they had been ripped off her and flung into a heap in the corner. Heat swelled in her chest and she pushed the memories away. It would do no good to dwell on _that_ while she was still stuck out on the rim.

She took another of Chakwas' patented night-night pills and swallowed it dry, knowing enough to be almost lying down when she took it. Within seconds she was asleep.

* * *

><p>The shuttle sliced through pouring rain that beat the outside hard enough to make the inside ring like a drum. To her great surprise it was Miranda at the controls. When she had come down to the cargo bay she had found both women waiting for her. Although she wasn't sure how, apparently the two had come to some sort of agreement while in the medical bay.<p>

The facility was visible through the shuttle window, just as dark and imposing as Shepard had imagined it would look. "I forgot how much I hate this place." Jack was leaning slightly to see better. "See the landing pad? Has to be on the roof or the vegetation would overgrow it in a few hours."

EDI's voice came over the speakers. "Shepard. I am picking up thermal signatures everywhere, except at your landing zone."

"Something's distorting the sensors."

Miranda toggled the speakers. "This was a secret Cerberus facility."

"Yeah, they built their equipment to last, assholes." Jack rubbed her face hard. "It was a mistake coming back here Shepard."

She sounded genuinely distressed. "Get a hold of yourself. It'll be okay."

A single breath later and her voice was back to normal, no hint of the quaver it had had before. "I'm fine. Okay. Let's get on the ground."

Miranda brought them in safely despite the high winds buffeting them from every side. Shepard triggered the door and stepped out into rain that hammered at her helmet and almost drove her to her knees it was so strong.

"Was it like this when you escaped?" She shouted back to Jack as the biotic exited as well.

Jack just shrugged. "Let's just get in there and plant the bomb in my cell. I wanna watch this place burn."

Miranda was last out, locking the shuttle down and drawing her submachine gun, looking thoroughly unimpressed with the rain. Shepard noted with a grin that it was heavy enough to dampen even her hair, which had withstood even the blast from the particle beam.

They hurried along the gantries that led down to a locked open door. Inside they found a standard pre-fab setup, though with the addition of some metal containers that looked heavy duty and military.

"I never saw this room," Jack said before Shepard could ask. "I think they brought new kids in these containers. They were messed up and starving, but alive, usually."

It was a more brusque reminder than she had expected. Shepard had known Jack had to come from someplace dark, but to imagine children being forced into these tiny metal boxes, stolen from their families and brought to this place.

She gestured for Miranda to take point through the facility. She didn't want Jack exposed to something before they'd had a chance to scout it out.

At the bottom of the stairs there was a terminal of some sort. Miranda tinkered with it for a moment and a voice emerged from it.

"The Illusive Man requested operations logs again. He's getting suspicious. When we get results he won't care what we did, but if he knew... He won't find out."

They shut the recording down, and Miranda looked thoughtfully at the terminal. "Sounds like this facility went rogue."

"You'd like to think that wouldn't you," Jack spat the words at her. "He didn't say what they were hiding from the Illusive Man."

Miranda didn't push the issue, and Shepard was glad. It seemed to her more than likely that whatever the scientists had been doing here, it had at leats begun with the Illusive Man's full backing.

They moved a little deeper in, and soon came across a wide open space overgrown with trees and foliage. There were crates and tables and sections of wall and roof in the middle of the room. Rain poured in from outside, flooding the floor.

"I remember escaping to this room. Fighting here." Jack walked to the edge of the walkway they were on. "I saw sunlight through the cracks in the ceiling. Only a half dead guard between me and freedom. He was begging for his life." She didn't say anymore, but it was obvious enough. Shepard led them down to ground level and through the winding maze of crates and tree roots. There were strange noises coming from close by, sounding animal.

They rounded a corner and three varren came bounding towards them. They opened up and cut the animals down in a second of concentrated gunfire. Once they were all down she took a moment to examine her surroundings. There was old blood on the floor, and metal barriers set up in a ring.

"This looks like an arena," she said.

Jack nodded, walking forwards and standing at the edge of the ring. "That's right. They used to stage fights here. Pit me against other kids. I loved it, only time I was ever out of my cell."

"What were they studying?"

She shrugged. "Hell if I know. Maybe that's how they got their kicks. I never understood anything that happened here."

"How often did they do this?"

"I was in a cell my whole life. Sometimes they took me out and made me fight. Filled me with drugs, other stuff. Time gets funny in a cell."

Looking back to the blood, she couldn't help but wonder. "Did other children die in these fights?"

"I was a kid, filled with drugs. I got shocked when I hesitated. Narcotics flooded my veins when I attacked."

Shepard didn't like the look on her face. "They actually rewarded you for attacking?" She was beginning to understand. And it was even worse than she had feared. Someone who fought from anger and pain, lashing out at the world, that was one thing. Someone who had been conditioned since childhood to take pleasure in killing was something else.

"I still get warm feelings during a fight."

"What the hell was wrong with these people?" She looked to Miranda, who was staring at Jack with an odd look in her eyes. It was almost fear.

"I don't know," Jack said. "Doesn't matter now."

Shepard reined in her temper again and drew her pistol. "Let's keep moving."

The next corridor they moved into was practically flooded from the amount of water pouring into it. They waded through ankle deep water until they came into another testing room, a security console against the wall. Miranda opened it up after a moment.

"Security Officer Zenki, Teltin facility. The subjects are out of their cells, they're tearing the place up! Subject Zero is going to get loose. I need permission to terminate, I repeat, permission to terminate."

Another voice came over the recording. "All subjects besides Zero are expendable, keep Jack alive."

"Understood, I'll begin the-"

Jack shut it off and turned to Shepard shaking her head. "That's not right. I broke out when my guards disappeared, I started that riot."

"Things might have happened that you didn't see."

"The other kids attacked, me. The guards attacked me. The automated systems attacked me. That doesn't leave lots of room for interpretation."

"Let's just keep moving."

There was another locked door they had to open, but the lock was rusted from the amount of water, and was easy enough to force open. Inside there was another set of stairs, a dead varren at the top."

Jack kicked it and turned back to Shepard. "This place is supposed to be empty. Who the fuck shot that varren? It's a fresh kill."

Shepard just shrugged, tightening her grip on her pistol and leading the way down the stairs. At the bottom she shoved the door open to find a room with two levels, metal gantries looking down on two smaller rooms with opaque glass shielding them from view.

"What is this place?" Miranda asked as they moved to the centre of the room.

"Check those rooms," Shepard said. "Might as well find out what we can."

Miranda nodded and went towards one of the rooms. Before she could check inside the glass shattered, a gunshot ringing out. Shepard dove for cover, Jack right behind her. The glass on the other side broke and bullets sparked off her shields. Shepard snapped her pistol up and fired blind, forcing their enemies back behind cover.

"What have we got?" She shouted.

Submachine gun fire chattered from Miranda's location. "Blood Pack."

"Biotics would be welcome right now."

Beside her Jack flared, firing a heavy blast through the window facing them. Two vorcha went flying from cover, giving Shepard the chance to blast one of them in the neck, all but decapitating him. The second one fell to Jack's shotgun.

"Miranda?"

"One left." There was a heavy thump and the final window shattered. "Done."

"Any idea why they were here?"

"If I had to guess I'd say a salvage operation. This looks like a military base, they must have thought there would be weapons and equipment they could scavenge."

"Reasonable." Shepard didn't think it quite added up though. How exactly had they found it in the first place if they didn't know to look here. Unless Cerberus were in the habit of disclosing the locations of their secret bases. She glanced up as Miranda came back to join them. _Probably not._

"So what is this room?"

"It looks like a morgue. Beds set up for autopsy in there."

"Why'd they need a morgue?" jack asked. "This was a small facility."

"A lot of children died here," Miranda said, looking slightly sickened by the thought. "And even then they were part of the experiment."

"Bullshit." Jack's voice was shaking. "I had the worst of it, and I made it out of here alive."

Neither of them had an answer for her. Shepard gestured to the far door and Miranda took point, leading them out into another two level room. Half a dozen Blood Pack were already coming towards them, obviously following the noise of the gunfight in the morgue. Without the advantage of an ambush they went down easily.

As they waited for Miranda to open up another locked door Shepard stared up at the gantries overhead, wondering what it must have been like to grow up in the facility. It seemed clear to her that the children would have been down on the lower level while scientists and guards watched from above. Observed every second of their lives, and they knew it.

The door opened and they moved into a short corridor, Jack lagging a little behind. When Shepard turned to look at her she shrugged."So strange to be back here," she sounded more reflective than Shepard had ever heard her. "I feel like… I'm pissed off. I'm a dangerous bitch, but then I'm a little girl again. Shit." She shook herself and grimaced. "It's complicated, let's just go plant that bomb."

They had reached more stairs leading down, and on a walkway above two Blood Pack shooting at them. Shepard sighed and blasted the fuel tank one of them carried. The explosion reduced both mercenaries to mulch.

Down the stairs they found yet more horrors. Tiny cells, barely big enough to hold the two-story bunks crammed into each one.

Miranda looked into one of the cells and blanched a little. "They kept children here?"

There were no personal effects in any of the cells. No sign that actual children could have lived there and been anything resembling happy. This place had stripped away all of their childhoods. Shepard watched Jack as surreptitiously as she could, trying to gauge the biotic's mood. She was harder to read than ever, wavering between emotion and icy-coldness.

Through the door was another two-level room, but this time they were on the upper floor looking down at an open space with a large tree growing right through the floor. It had breached the ceiling, and more water was coming in. Against the far side wall there was an enormous window, blacked out. Jack froze when she saw it.

"This… it's a two way mirror." She sounded like she was having a revelation. "My cell is on the other side. I could see all the other kids out here. I screamed at them for hours, and they always ignored me."

Shepard waited for her to say something more, but she was just staring at the window. After nearly a full minute of silence she ventured, "Jack?"

The biotic twitched, flaring blue for a second. Shepard took a step back and forced herself not to draw her gun. Jack's arm came up with her pistol in hand, and she unleashed an entire clip into the window, cracking the glass. It was clearly bulletproof, but the outburst seemed to have sated Jack anyway, as she reloaded and marched around to the next door without another word.

Shepard and Miranda followed at a distance, both knowing that the closer they got to the centre the worse Jack was likely to become. They found her crouching in the dark in the next room, an open space with two medical beds separated by screens. The beds had restraints built into them, and there were traces of dried blood on both sets of restraints.

"I must have come through here when I broke out," Jack muttered, scratching the floor. "But I don't remember it." Shepard realised she had scratched hard enough to crack a nail. Blood was running down her finger as she brought her hand back up. "This is a bad place."

There were more security terminals in the room, in better shape than the others they had found. It was a simple matter to turn them on.

"Entry 1054, Teltin Facility." The hologram showed a weedy looking man dressed in casual clothes. "The latest iteration of PergNim went poorly. Subjects One, Four and Six died. No biotic change among the survivors. We lowered core temperatures of surviving subjects, but no biotically beneficial reactions occurred. As a side effect, all subjects died. So we'll not try that on Zero." The impact of what he was saying suddenly hit her. At least six children had died so they could test their next round of treatments on Jack. "I hope our supply of biotic potential subjects holds up. We are going through them fast."

Jack slammed her hand into the terminal, smashing it to sparks and scrap. "This is bullshit!" She screamed it. "They weren't experimenting on the other children for my safety."

"You can't help what they did to the others."

"You don't get it Shepard." Her voice was back to normal, but it shook with emotion. "I survived this place because I was tougher than the rest, that's who I am."

"Then prove it. You move on from this, harder and tougher."

She moved to the next terminal without a word and activated it. The same voice out, accompanied by a hologram of the same man looking nervously around himself. In the background there were sirens and crashing noises.

"It's all fallen to pieces. The subjects are rampaging, and Zero is loose. We're shutting Teltin down. What a disaster. We'll infiltrate and piggyback onto the Alliance's Ascension Programme." She recognised the name. Kaidan had mentioned it to her. The successor to BAaT. A genuine sign of hope for the future. "Hopefully that will…" The man looked off to one side of the recording. "Who? Zero, wait!" He disappeared from view and the recording ended automatically.

"Shepard they started up somewhere else." Jack sounded on the verge of tears, and her eyes showed every inch of pain she had endured.

"Ascension is an Alliance program, it's a school for biotic kids. They don't torture children there."

Jack looked away, taking several deep breaths. When she spoke again her voice was still shaking. "A lot of this isn't the way I remember it."

"There was a lot going on."

"I was dumb, I keep my eyes open now, and I always shoot first." She seemed to be going inside herself now. "We're getting close to my cell. The place I came from. Let's keep going."

They came into a Mess Hall full of mercenaries. There were two krogan on the other side of the room, as well as a dozen vorcha spread around. The krogan was speaking to someone on a comm unit.

"Hey Aresh, it's Kuresh. Yeah, the intruders are here." He glanced at them but didn't seem overly concerned that three heavily armed women had just strolled in. "You want them dead, we have to talk creds. You promised us lots of salvage, but this place is a waste." She didn't hear the response, but it apparently convinced the krogan, who turned to his men. "Fine, put 'em down, but I'm coming in there and were gonna talk salvage."

As every mercenary turned to them, weapons readying, she held up her hands. "What are you doing here?"

"First we're gonna kill you, then we'll see!"

"Fine." She grabbed her rifle off her back and brought it to bear. By the time it was unfurled she had sighted on the krogan in charge. The Anti-Material round ripped cleanly through his armour and straight out through his back. Miranda and Jack sent rippling blasts of biotic energy down through the ranks of vorcha on the lower level, scattering them and sending several of them into the walls with enough force to break bones.

Shepard cycled the action and fired again before the mercenaries were even able to respond to their opening attack. Her round hit the second krogan and dropped him in a single blast, his head entirely missing. She finally ducked behind cover as the first rounds of assault rifle fire began to strafe their position. She switched to her usual combination of submachine gun and pistol, waiting until Miranda had ducked back behind cover before standing to add her fire to the mix.

Her shields caught a few stray rounds, but nothing penetrated and she was able to drop three of the vorcha before the heat sinks popped.

Jack was sparking with the intensity of her biotic field. She stepped out of cover and launched a wave of energy right into the centre of the room. The tables were ripped from their housings and swirled in the centre of the room, striking the remaining Blood Pack with enough force to rip a vorcha in half. Blood covered the floor as the storm finally died down.

"Huh." Shepard stood to see Kuresh limping out from his cover. "Bad call." He leaned against a pillar and put a hand across the hole in his stomach. "Got me good."

He dropped to one knee, still trying to raise his assault rifle. She opened up the Widow again and walked over, jamming it into his neck and pulling the trigger. The top of his head fell away from the bloody stump of his neck and she turned back to Jack.

"Only room left is my old cell. Whoever Aresh is, he's in there. I wanna plant the bomb there anyway. Might as well do it on his corpse."

They walked down a narrow corridor, a dent in the wall covered in old blood. The door at the end opened at a touch, revealing a bare room. Only a desk, a bed, and basic washing facilities. They walked in and stopped just in front of the doorway, listening to the sound of scraping from deeper in.

Shepard took another pace forwards. "Come out. We know you're here."

A man emerged from behind the desk. He was tall and thin, unhealthily so. Jack raised her pistol and trained it on him. "Who are you?

"My name is Aresh, and you're breaking into my home." He was very softly spoken, and he was very calm as he faced down Jack. "I know you Subject Zero. So many years have passed, and I thought I was the only survivor."

"My name is Jack. How the hell do you know me?"

"We all knew your face Jack. They inflicted horrors on us so their experiments wouldn't kill you. You were the question, and I'm still looking for the answer."

Shepard stepped forwards, not quite shielding the man from Jack's pistol. "Looks like you're not the only one pulled back here Jack."

"I tried to forget this, but a place like this. It doesn't forget you, it follows you." She was finding him far too lucid. She also felt the tug at her own memories. Mindoir, Akuze. They had stayed with her, followed her, as he said. "I hired these mercs and came back almost a solar year ago. We're rebuilding it, piece by piece. I'm gonna find out what they knew. How to unlock the biotic potential in humans. I'm restarting the Teltin Facility. It will be beautiful."

_Or not._ There had also been Toombes. So locked up in what had happened to him he had broken.

"I wanted a hole in the ground. He's trying to justify what happened by using it?"

"You'd do the same thing to new kids?" She asked, trying to read any emotion on his face. "Wasn't this forced on you?"

"Some were bought from poor families on Earth or kidnapped from colonies. Most ended up here the way I did. Batarian pirates." That sent a shiver down her spine. Talitha. The children abducted, not killed, when the slavers hit Mindoir. "They did such horrible things to us. They must have had good reasons." That betrayed some emotion. He was still trying to convince himself.

"There's no reason good enough. Are you nuts? You lived it!"

She was still confused over how he had made it out in the first place. "This place was like a prison. How'd you get out?"

"We all attacked at once as they were taking us to the lab. They would have put us down, but then Jack got loose. When I came to it was over. The guards, the scientists and the kids were all dead. And you were gone."

"I stopped it," she growled. "All of it. Maybe the others did have it bad, but what you're doing is just messed."

"Everything we went through must have been worth something."

Shepard turned to Jack, but her face had gone just as blank as his. They were unreadable. "We can blow up the place but that still leaves him. What do we do with another you?"

She stalked forwards, dropping her pistol but glaring at him with murder in her eyes. "That's easy

"Just leave me here, this is where I belong." She knew that sentiment.

"Fuck that."

A blast of biotic power hit him square in the gut. He folded and dropped to his knees, Jack standing above him with her pistol in hand.

She leapt forwards, getting right up next to her. "Jack he's trapped in his past. You need to move on from yours."

"He wants to restart this place, he needs to die."

"He's crazy and he's never gonna restart this facility." She tried to catch Jack's eye but it was impossible. "You have to let it go. Your past doesn't have to control you."

Her finger tightened on the trigger as she glared down at Aresh. He was muttering nonsense now. "Fuck. Get out of here, go." She stepped back and he scrambled out of the door on all fours. "He's not worth chasing, none of it is."

"You did the right thing Jack." She wondered whether he had actually left, or was merely hiding away somewhere. But she knew from experience that there was a world of difference between someone dying and pulling the trigger yourself.

"Maybe." She holstered the pistol and looked around at the empty walls. "This room was my whole childhood. Give me a minute to look around."

"Go ahead."

She wandered to the bed first, kicking the mattress. "Sometimes I dream that I'm back in this bed being tortured. I used to tie the sheets around my wrists and try to trip them off. I wanna stop coming back here."

She looked over to where Shepard was standing by the desk. "I used that table for everything. It was like my best friend. I'd crawl under it to cry. I was pathetic." She was trying to sound like her usual hardened self, but Shepard could hear the emotion in her voice now.

Jack turned back to the window. "I thought that room out there was the rest of the world. I'd pound and yell." She gave a bitter laugh. "Never did any good."

Miranda was done setting the bomb they had carried with them. It was a small device, but it would still have more than enough power to wipe out the entire facility, right down to the bedrock. Shepard couldn't help but feel tense around it. She had lost Kaidan to a similar device, if on a smaller scale.

Jack led them back out, pointing to the dent Shepard had noticed earlier. "See the scarring on the wall here? That's where I killed my first man. One of the guards tried to stop me. Instead I stopped him." She touched the wall, then turned away and straightened up, actually smiling. "Okay, no more wallowing, let's blow this place to hell."

They retraced their steps through the facility. As they passed the arena Shepard thought she heard someone muttering deeper in the room, but whether Aresh really was there he didn't show himself. They reached the landing pad and climbed back into the shuttle with a weariness that had nothing to do with the firefights they had endured. Even Miranda seemed shocked into silence at the reality of the place.

They lifted away and made for atmosphere, keeping within range for the detonator while Jack opened it and closed it a few times, looking out of the window at the facility as it shrank on the horizon. Finally she looked back to Shepard and depressed the button.

Shepard hammered on the door to the cockpit and Miranda put the thrusters to full, sending them rocketing to the atmosphere.

Behind them the bomb detonated, blasting the facility to pieces. The shockwave caught them even so far away, and half the jungle was turned into a ball of fire.

"Better?" Shepard asked as they broke atmo, the Normandy swinging in for the pickup.

"Getting there."

**AN:-** One of the things I've quite liked about this fanfic is the subtle changes in EDI. She changes the way she addresses people, she changes how she intrudes/aids with briefing, acting more and more like a functioning member of the team instead of a support-based AI. It's just fun to write.

I like making references to Liara and Shepard, particularly in the bedroom department. I just like to think of them having a great relationship. They buy each other presents, they do lots of silly things on dates. They are a couple, not just conquests.

Miranda is here for a couple of reasons, mostly relating to her development more than Jack's. A lot of this will become a bigger thing in the upcoming chapters but basically she has started to have doubts about Cerberus, and now she wants to know for certain whether her faith may have been misplaced. This is as good a place as any to start.

Please read and review, next chapter deals with the fallout of this little venture.


	37. Chapter 36: Downtime

**AN:-** UUuurghrhahgahgekjhgnbsdlkajdshble

**Chapter Thirty-Six: Downtime**

They were in the air, relatively speaking, less than a day, also relatively speaking, before Joker was radioing her with problems. She was in her room, trying to compose a letter to Liara, when he buzzed her loudly enough to shock her off the sofa.

"What?" She snapped.

"Commander, Jack and Miranda are in the middle of a disagreement. Can you head it off before they tear out a bulkhead?"

She sighed and made for the elevator. "I'll deal with it. Where are they?"

"Miranda's room." She got into the elevator and headed down, with him still on the comm. "Take pictures."

"Stow it Joker."

"Touch me and I will smear the walls with you bitch!"

A chair flew across Miranda's office, lobbed by a biotic pulse from Jack. Miranda flared briefly blue, but she was under control.

"Enough," Shepard yelled as she came through the door. "Stand down, both of you!"

"The cheerleader won't admit what Cerberus did to me was wrong." At the very least she wasn't throwing things anymore, but she hadn't backed down.

"It wasn't Cerberus, not really." Shepard heard the slight uncertainty in Miranda's voice, but she doubted Jack did. "But clearly you were a mistake."

Jack flared blue, but then it was extinguished. "Screw you." Her voice was quiet and calm and deadly. "You've got no idea what they put me through. Maybe it's time I showed you."

"Our mission is too important to let personal feelings get in the way." She was finding it hard to keep herself in check. Her voice almost cracked from the effort of not shouting.

"Fuck your feelings, I just want her dead."

"You both know what we're up against." Her own tone shocked her, reminding her more of Gunny Ellis than anything else. She waved Miranda away when she tried to speak. "Save your anger for the Collectors."

"I can put aside my differences." Miranda was the picture of magnanimity. "Until the mission's over."

Jack snorted. "Sure, I'll do my part. I'd hate to see her die before I get a chance to filet her myself." She waved, flipping Miranda the bird as she did, and stalked out of the room.

Shepard waited until the door had cycled closed to turn to Miranda, who was taking her place behind the desk. "You two gonna be okay?"

"It's a good thing you came by when you did. As long as she does her job, we'll be fine."

She clearly expected Shepard to leave, but there were still issues to discuss. "What you said Miranda. What you said at the base as well…"

"What's on your mind Shepard?"

The familiarity made her regret what she had to do next. "'It wasn't Cerberus. They went rogue.' That sentence is getting a little worn."

"You heard the recording Shepard. The Illusive Man was asking them for situation reports that they weren't giving. That facility wasn't operating with Cerberus authority."

"It sounded to me like that facility was built for the sole purpose of creating something like Jack. A human biotic weapon. And whether they were getting reports or not he must have been authorising for those children to be sent there. To be experimented on. Tested on."

"We don't know what the true purpose of that facility was Shepard. For all we know it could have started as a training facility before it went rogue."

"Miranda, you're too smart to believe that. The Collector ship, Jacob's father, now this? Look me in the eye and tell me you support this."

Miranda looked up, but she couldn't hold Shepard's eye. "Please Commander. I have to finish my reports."

For the first time Shepard pushed harder. "We're going through the Omega 4 Relay soon Miranda. When we do I know that some of this team is going to have my back. "Garrus, Tali, Jacob. They believe in something more than themselves with everything they've got."

"You mean you."

"Maybe. But I don't think so. They believe that we can win. That the battle can be won."

"And what do you believe Shepard?"

"I believe in them. In my team. Old and new. And I believe that I can make a difference through my actions."

"That sounds pretty naïve Shepard."

"And yet." She spread her arms. "I'm still standing. I'm still alive. And we are winning. That much I am sure of."

Miranda could only stare at her desk.

"Just…" She felt drained. "Just think about it. Please."

"Yes Shepard."

/|\

Her next stop was the engine room, where she found Jack lying on her bed staring at the ceiling.

"The cheerleader pissed?"

"Much as this may disappoint you, no."

"Figures." Jack rolled onto her side. "Why should she be beat up about that place?"

"I'm not sure either of you give the other enough credit for what you've been through."

"Cheerleader's got it sorted."

"Oh yes, and you've had a lot of actual conversations with her to determine that have you?"

That earned her a laugh. She sensed there was more Jack wanted to share, and sat down on a crate as she waited. Eventually the biotic spoke, quiet enough that Shepard had to strain to hear her over the engine's hum.

"I needed to wipe that place off the map. You took me there to do it and I owe you. You don't know what it's like, to have garbage like that following you. It marks you in ways you, you don't expect."

"I know what it's like to have your past define you Jack."

"Sure."

Shepard ignored the disbelieving tone. She almost couldn't believe she was about to share this with the biotic. "My entire life died on Mindoir. My entire squad on Akuze. I died, and they just brought me right back. Right now my squad, my family, is strewn across the galaxy while I'm forced to work with a group I once swore to destroy. You talk about scars? I'm an orphan who lived through a massacre, and then they went and made me a hero." She sighed. "I've made a lot of hard choices Jack. Like what to let go." Unbidden Liara's face flashed in front of her.

She pushed it away. _No. I haven't given up. Not yet._

"Hard to walk away from it." It almost sounded like Jack had accepted her speech. "You'd think it would get easier now that the place is a crater, but what else do I know?"

"Do you think you're different now?"

She rolled back over and sat up. "I know that place is gone. But I still kinda wanna kill every person I see, no offence."

"I'm not expecting you to be a hundred percent right now. It took me a few years. And it's not the place that makes it easy or hard. If it still existed, if it's nothing but dust. It's in your past now. You just get to choose whether it stays there or not."

"Don't get all therapist on me Shepard, you're not the couch type."

Shepard laughed at that. "Oh Jack, so much you don't know about me."

She laughed as well. Quiet and choked, but still a laugh. "I'll wait outside the office we ever go to Ilium again. No offence but I don't wanna see two nerds going at it."

"Well you and Miranda decide to make it official let me know. No offence but I don't wanna see two pasty white chicks going at it."

And finally a real laugh. "Fuck off Shepard."

When she left Jack was still smiling. And that was enough.

/|\

"Kind of early for you isn't it Commander?"

"I feel a little less likely to get a knife in the ribs if I eat during the day now."

"What did I tell you?" Joker hobbled over and set his plate down next to hers. "Give 'em some time, they all start warming up to the Shepard charm."

"I think I may even have got through to Jack today."

"Well you did help her with her deeply personal issue. That seems to be a bit of a habit for you Shepard. I hope you're not thinking of a road trip for every single member of the crew because I don't think we have the gas money."

"As far as I'm aware we've dealt with the biggest crazies." A clank on the gantry to the right signalled Garrus' arrival. "Although I suppose we do still have the one…"

"You both forget I know you too well for you to keep secrets from me."

"No secrets Garrus," Shepard told him as he sat on her other side. "Joker's just complaining about our little unscheduled trip to the Citadel."

"It's more than just an unscheduled trip! You going anywhere means explosions and a body count. And we're not supposed to operate in Citadel space anymore, that was the Council's deal."

At the mention of body count she had looked to Garrus, but he was keeping his expression carefully blank.

"No explosions this time Joker. Just trying to hunt down a fugitive."

"Yeah, we all remember how well the last fugitive we hunted down went."

"Saren wasn't exactly a fugitive."

"Oh of course he was just on the run and wanted by the Council, there's a hundred other words that describe him perfectly."

"Alright Joker, keep up the gags. It's important, or else I wouldn't ask."

"I know, I know. I'm just anxious for us to get going, y'know? The Collectors are getting bolder, setting up a trap like that, and the Illusive Man threw us right into the varren pit there."

"The Illusive Man can pindhah nyedhot linglang," Garrus said as he sat.

The translator wasn't giving her any clues about what he had said. "Uh, what?"

"Old expression, I'm not sure it has a direct translation into your language." He started to eat, moving with the mechanical precision he usually exhibited. "It's rather rude though."

"All the best expressions are," Joker said. "Though God only knows what Jack sounds like to you."

"There have been a few instances where the translator only returns the word 'copulate.' I presume the word she uses is somewhat less medical?"

Shepard laughed into her food. "We have a word that colloquially means the act of copulation, but is considered very rude. Do turians not have that word?"

"Quite possibly the subject is not as taboo as you humans seem to make it. Our swear words are usually more of a military nature anyway."

"Is there anything the turians have which isn't of a military nature?"

"Me."

"Christ Almighty Garrus if you're not of a military nature I don't ever want to go to Palaven."

"It's not the most exciting place in the galaxy." Jacob appeared from the elevator. "Very serious."

Garrus looked up in surprise. "You've been to Palaven?"

"I've been by Palaven," Jacob said as he collected his food. "Stopped for a refuel in system. We weren't allowed anywhere outside our assigned flight corridor and the whole time we were there they kept an armed guard with its guns pointing at us. Made me pretty nervous."

"Well I'm not surprised they weren't pleased having Cerberus in the vicinity."

"Oh this was while I was with the Corsairs."

Garrus looked up in shock. "Piracy? You?"

Shepard shook her head. "It was just a name Garrus. The Corsairs are an Alliance group. Marines working under an independent captain for greater freedom to carry out operations."

"That sounds like an invitation for a lack of oversight."

"Hence why Cerberus was so interested in him." Miranda had come from her room as well. "We were looking for operatives with experience working off the books. Jacob not only fit the requirements for previous secrecy, he also passed with flying colours on all possible physical requirements." She smiled. "One of the best new candidates we ever had. Until you of course Shepard."

"Thanks for the compliment," Shepard said around a dumpling. "Not sure I'm exactly a candidate though."

"Oh really?" Miranda brought over a tray of food. "And what word would you use?"

"Pressganged perhaps?"

Garrus chuckled at that. Miranda ignored him and sat down. "I take your point Shepard. But at least you're fighting the right fight."

"That much we agree on."

"My my Shepard. Should I include that in my next report?"

"Low blow Miranda."

They fell into silence as they ate, but for the first time it was a companionable silence. Shepard almost felt like it was the old Normandy again. Joker was the first to leave, hobbling over to the kitchen with his plate. "I should get going. Courses to set, places to go."

"Of course," Miranda said with a look to Garrus. "Back to Citadel space for some reason."

"Kasumi's personal mission is in the Boltzmann system," Shepard said. "And we could all probably use some downtime after the last few weeks. Nothing sinister about it."

Jacob snorted into his desert. "Of course. Just like our innocent stop on Ilium."

"It'd be nice to be on a ship where we can actually talk to each other." Shepard kept most of the bitterness out of her voice, but they caught it anyway. Miranda looked suitably chastised, and Jacob finished his meal quickly before nodding to the table and leaving.

With only Miranda and Garrus left at the table with her the tension rose by several notches. It was only a matter of time before one of them asked the question, so she decided to head it off.

"I'm fine," she said, and noted how both of them looked startled. "Thanks for worrying."

"I, wasn't, that's." She cut Garrus' stammering off with a look. Miranda's cheeks looked flushed.

"You two are probably the best informed as to my current state, and that's including the good doctor. But seriously, I don't need the both of you constantly checking up on me." She finished her meal and crumpled up the tray to take it to the recycler. "I don't know, maybe you should coordinate which one of you gets to ask or something."

She left before either of them could say anything. On a whim she rode the elevator to the CiC instead of directly back to her room. Most of the crew were on-shift, including Kelly Chambers.

"Commander!" She saluted happily as Shepard came up beside her. "I'm so glad we've finished assembling the dossiers. It's fascinating having all these different crew members on board."

"You're not used to working with aliens?" It wasn't that big a guess.

"Oh no it's not that they're alien. It's their personalities. Everyone you've assembled is such a character, and you as well. So much life on this ship. Cerberus can sometimes be very formal and dull, well, you saw what Miranda was like, but some time with you and she's started to open up in ways I wouldn't have imagined."

"You don't have a problem working with aliens?" Shepard leaned against the railing. "Not what I would have expected from someone working with Cerberus."

"Cerberus isn't about being anti-alien." She seemed to be choosing her words very carefully. "We look out for Humanity, but that doesn't mean we hate aliens." She grinned. "My sister started a dog shelter, but she loves cats too."

"I think I get your meaning." _Even if I don't necessarily think you're right._ "And I suppose it's a little unlikely that an organisation as big as Cerberus could only be composed of xenophobes." _More like my optimistic side doesn't want to believe that. My cynical brain has no trouble believing it._

"Absolutely." Kelly's smile returned in full. Shepard had to admit it was intoxicating. But that thought only brought back the memory of Liara's smile. Much shyer, only sure of herself when they were alone together. Kelly's smile was a practiced innocence Shepard recognised. "So was there anything else you wanted to talk about Commander?"

"You keep an eye on the crew members yes?" At the yeoman's nod she continued. "I'd like to be kept informed if any of them have any issues?"

"Well actually I think Thane may wish to talk to you. He spoke to me about arranging an appointment. I wasn't sure how you wanted to handle that sort of thing. We haven't discussed me keeping your appointment book."

"No." Shepard allowed herself to chase that line of thought for a moment. "I never needed one on the previous Normandy, and before that my positions weren't really superior enough to require one." She turned several ideas over in her head. "How about this. If a member of the ground team, the assembled dossiers that is, wants to talk to me then you can alert me or they can come to me directly. All Cerberus crew, excepting Miranda, Jacob and Joker, can arrange appointments through you."

"I think we can work that out."

"And you said Thane wanted to talk. Did he give you any indication as to what?"

"He said it was a private matter. I didn't like to pry."

"Right. Well. Thanks for the update Kelly."

Kelly saluted her with a grin. Shepard returned the salute and couldn't help but return the smile as well. It was nice to have another ally on the ship.

She took the elevator back down to the third level, finding that thankfully both Garrus and Miranda had returned to their posts. She went round to Life Support, where Thane was sitting watching the engine. He had already set up shop there, including a couple of walls filled with dozens of highly maintained weapons. Her nose twitched as her memory implants tried to identify all of them at once. He had a lot of very rare guns.

"It is a collection I have acquired over many years."

She looked over to see him still looking at the engine. Then she realised he was actually watching her in the glass. "Most people prefer coins or stamps."

"Or aliens?" He turned in his chair and his mouth was twitching up in a smile. "Please, sit."

She took the chair opposite him and tried not to stare as she settled in. She had never even seen a drell before, and even beyond that there was something in the way he held himself that held her attention. "I heard you wanted to talk to me."

"Shepard, I mentioned when we met on Ilium that I was dying. It's called Kepral's Syndrome. It's not communicable, but I have less than a year to live." His voice was almost toneless, but she didn't know enough to know whether it was a species thing or just him.

"Are you feeling sick?" She ventured. "I could get the doctor."

"No, no. Though I suppose that is a part of it. My mortality has me dwelling on things. I had a family once, I still have a son. His name is Kolyat, I haven't seen him for a very long time."

"I can imagine how you might want to contact him."

He bowed his head slightly, but their eyes stayed locked. "When my wife departed from her body I attended to that issue. I left Kolyat in the care of his aunts and uncles. I have not seen him or talked to him since."

"That's not the choice I expected. Why didn't you raise him yourself?"

"My body is blessed with the skills to take a life. The hanar honed them in me." That raised even more questions, but he didn't elaborate further. "I have few others. I didn't want that life for Kolyat. I hoped he would find his own way. If he hated me so be it. He would not have shared the path of sin." He took a breath and finally looked away. "I used my contacts to trace Kolyat. He has become, disconnected. He does what his body wills."

It almost felt like he was speaking in code, but she sensed it was something more than that. Something almost spiritual. "What's wrong with him, is he hurt?"

"Something happened that should not have. He knows where I've been, what I've done. I don't know his reasons but he has gone to Citadel. He's taken a job as a hitman." She realised that his lack of emotion wasn't from species but from himself. There was a well of emotion he wasn't letting himself feel. "I would like your help to stop him. He is…" Their eyes locked again and she had to fight to keep her breath even. "This is not a path he should walk."

"We're already heading for the Citadel. Any information you can get me in the meantime.."

"Of course." He smiled, and it felt genuine to her. "Thank you Shepard. I'll be meditating until you need me."

She stood and felt a strange urge to bow. She restrained herself to a nod and left.

**AN:-** I do love that opening. Obviously 'in the air' and 'a day' become relative when you're discussing space travel.

Couple of big things here. The confrontation with Miranda is a very big part of this of course. As with the last game, where some of the Noveria and Feros dialogue makes more sense if you go Feros-Noveria than the other way around some of the loyalty missions and follow up arguments feel a little off to me. A big part of Miranda's loyalty mission has to be breaking her allegiance to the Illusive Man, given how the ending can turn out, yet she's still protesting Cerberus' innocence with Jack afterwards. That makes me think there has to be something more Miranda isn't sharing.

Jack's conversation is pretty much verbatim from the games with two exceptions. I added a couple of lines of dialogue for Shepard about her history, mostly stuff which occurred to me as I was playing Pragia, and the similarities between Aresh and Toombes. I also changed the ending. The game's ending if you're a male Shepard romancing her is a lot nicer and less confrontational, but if you're a femShep or not romancing her she just suddenly goes from open and happy to brusque and pushing you away. It just felt out of character, so I changed the confrontational words 'don't go all therapist' and made it into a little joke between them. Which to me feels more like they will become close comrades.

Had a bit of fun with the translators again. It's one of my favourite things to do, since they aren't elaborated on a lot in canon. For example there are obviously words which do not translate from the alien's languages into English (bosh'tet, keelah selai) but what about words or phrases which would translate to a human language? What would happen if someone used the word schadenfreude? Would it come through as the original German or translate into 'pleasure derived from the misfortune of others?' And if there was an equivalent word in turians would it stay untranslated, translate into schadenfreude, or translate into the definition of schadenfreude.

For certain words and phrases (like Tali using zadnitsa in a previous chapter) I am using Google Translate on English words into a language which feels appropriate. Tali gets Russian/Czech/other Eastern European languages. In this case Garrus got Japanese (phonetic translation). This sort of translation stuff also is why Garrus doesn't understand Jacob working for the Corsairs. We in English understand that 'the' Corsairs implies a group (because it has a the in front of it) whereas Garrus hearing through a translator just hears Jacob saying he was with pirates, which is the dictionary translation of the word corsair. Also also, if the translator won't translate certain curses (bosh'tet) what exactly does cursing sound like to the aliens?

And once more we come to a character I'm just not sure about writing. I like Thane as a character, he's fascinating. Do I have any confidence writing him? No. No I don't.


	38. Chapter 37: Eye for an Eye

**AN:- **In the middle of rewatching all of Castle. i think Shepard is starting to sound like Beckett.

**Chapter Thirty-Seven: Eye for an Eye**

Since most civilised worlds required for the captain to be present while a ship was docking she found herself sharing the cockpit with Joker again as they flew into the Citadel. It wasn't that she minded, he was good company and focused enough on his work that the jokes weren't constant. But they had been kept in a waiting pattern for nearly a full nine hours, and she had to be present for all of it, just in case someone from Citadel traffic control called.

"I thought docking procedures were dull before," Joker commented for about the twelfth time. "I will never complain about a three hour wait time for a space on Omega."

"Sure you will Joker."

"Well, yeah. But it'll be ironic."

"And what exactly would the difference between ironic complaining and real complaining be?"

"Well you won't be in the cockpit to hear the ironic complaining for one thing."

"And thus the noble pilot Joker neatly avoids another incoming logic missile."

"What I do best."

She grinned and went back to her reading. Being trapped in a seven foot square box for hours on end required a vast array of things to do. Joker had spent most of the time with one ear piece in watching tv shows on one of the screens. She didn't bother to comment on it. Although strictly speaking it was against regs every pilot she knew did it during long wait periods, and particularly with EDI there monitoring incoming transmissions there was no chance of their missing anything.

"Whatcha reading, oh captain my captain?"

"Treasure Island."

"Huh. Never read it myself."

"My father had a copy, back on Mindoir. He used to read it to us when we were little."

"Ah."

She could tell he was curious, but too respectful to outright ask.

"Life on Mindoir was pretty old fashioned," she said, putting the book aside. "Some of the colonies are high tech; others of them are based on old-Earth values. Some people came out to the Rim to get away from what they saw as a human culture getting away from the things that actually mattered, others were there for the adventure or the romance of it all."

"There's nothing romantic about colony life. I should know, my family lives out on Tiptree."

"Well my mother and father liked the idea of living off the sweat of their own backs. Anyway, that's not the point. The point is that some of the colonies have very limited resources. So they don't have vids for entertainment, and even if they did most people would be working more often than enjoying it. So my parents had books which they would read to us. Treasure Island was one of those books."

"That's nice."

"It was."

"Still not sure I'd take the old fashioned way of life. I like being able to live and walk around without breaking everything in me."

"Fair point."

The comm. blinked and he leaned in to answer it. After a few seconds of back and forth with the operator he sat back and adjusted their course, bringing them down to the wards.

/|\

The Citadel was just as she remembered it, although the adverts had changed in the time since they last docked. Apparently they were releasing movies about Blasto the Hanar Spectre now. She shook her head at that as she and Garrus made their way through customs. Apparently Garrus felt the same way.

"I thought it might be nice to come back and see how it's changed. But it's just the same."

"No rose tinted glasses for you?"

"Being security here is a terrible job." The scanners didn't pick anything up and they were able to go through. "I'm glad I left."

On the other side Shepard walked up to Captain Bailey's desk. They had already discussed their options for finding Garrus' contact, and despite his protests she had insisted on talking to Bailey first. She had a feeling he would be more than happy to help.

"Commander Shepard, how nice to see you again. What rules can I help you bend this time?"

She grinned at that, wishing it was a little less true. "I'm trying to find a local forger that goes by the name of Fade."

"Yeah, I know him. The alias anyway. He's been a thorn in the Network Division's side for the last year. He works with the Blue Suns."

_Perfect. "_Where can we find him?"

"Ha, if I knew that he'd be in a cell. Best I can do is put you on the trail." She got the feeling Bailey was glad she had asked. "There's a warehouse in the marketplace. Some of Fade's contacts work out of there. Go ask them some questions, gently of course."

"Why haven't you been able to catch him?"

Bailey shrugged. "Whoever he is he's damn good at avoiding C-Sec. I think someone on the inside's feeding him information. Either that or he's got access to our databases and comm. channels. I don't know which is worse. But you're outside C-Sec, maybe you can nail his ass." And her suspicions were confirmed. No job too dirty for a SPECTRE after all.

She nodded to him and followed Garrus as he led the way down to the warehouse. "I thought you worked the Presidium?" She asked as they passed the street vendors.

"Every cop has to do time in the Wards. Most of the Presidium crime is white collar anyway. But down here in the Wards you can have murders, burglary, mugging. This is where the real work gets done."

The warehouse was all but deserted, and as soon as they walked through the door the few people she pegged as civilians cleared out in a hurry. Two krogans stayed right where they were though, staring her down. She met the aggressive look evenly. They were street heavies, not armoured mercs or battlemasters.

A volus walked out from behind a crate with what she could only describe as a swagger. He stepped in between the krogan and turned to face her."

"Fade?" She kept her tone neutral, just in case. "You're not quite how I imagined you."

"Looks can be deceiving." It was like a poor man's Barla Von. That had been a really connected volus. This guy was playacting at something. "So which one of you wants to disappear?"

"I'd rather see you make someone reappear."

"Ah." Most of the bluster went in the space of a syllable. "That's not the service we provide." And he was already saying 'we' instead of 'I.' She shook her head. Master spy this guy was not.

Garrus pressed. "Make an exception, just this once."

"Damn it, quick." He looked back to the krogan, who drew shotguns. Shepard didn't even bother to draw, fixing the biggest with a stare. "Shoot them, shoot them you lumbering mountains."

"Why don't you two find somewhere else to skulk." Garrus said. It wasn't a question, and they didn't take it as such, lowering their guns and stomping past and out of the warehouse.

The volus huffed. "Just like that? You're not getting paid for this." He turned back to Shepard and Garrus and gave them an apologetic shrug. "What's the point of hiring protection if they won't protect you?"

"We're looking for someone, a client of yours."

"Not mine." He held his hands up and managed to shake his whole body in an emphatic no. "I'm not Fade. I just work for him. Sort of."

_I knew it._

Garrus knelt in front of him, still looking just as imposing. "Well then maybe you'd like to tell us where to find him."

"Yes, of course. He's in the Factory District. Works out of the old prefab foundry."

"I know the place."

"Uh, he's got a lot of mercs there." Apparently loyalty wasn't one of this guy's strong suits either. Shepard wondered just who Fade was that he hired such incompetents but stayed ahead of the law. "Blue Suns, Harkin thinks they're protecting him."

Garrus growled, startling the volus. "Harkin."

The name rang a bell for her, but she was more focused on the other issue. "What do the Blue Suns have to do with this?" Bailey had mentioned them working together, but that didn't usually mean an armed guard for a low-level paper-pusher.

"They use his services, to help their people infiltrate businesses and various organisations here on the Citadel."

Garrus stood back up and marched back to her. "Bastard, he's using C-Sec to help those scum."

"No no no, well not really. He got fired from C-Sec a while ago. But he still knows the business." That clicked the name into place for her. Harkin, the first human in C-Sec. Obviously not so necessary after the amount of humans needed to fill the ranks after Sovereign's attack.

"Interesting, but it changes nothing." Garrus looked to her. "We still need to find him before we can get to Sidonis."

"Well let's go pay Harkin a visit."

"We'll need to go to the transit station. I can get us to him from there."

She nodded and was about to leave when the volus spoke up again.

"So I uh, I can go?"

Garrus gave his biggest crocodile grin. "Sure. But if we don't find Harkin we'll be back for you."

"Oh. Good."

As they left Shepard kept an eye on him. He had always been somewhat loose with the rules but it hadn't sounded like an empty threat he just issued. They needed to talk, before he got Sidonis in his sights.

/|\

The factory district was about what she had expected. Big warehouses, dozens of crates stacked all around. A perfect ambush spot or perfect cover for the two of them. Garrus parked the shuttlecab and marched out like he didn't care about the armed Blue Suns mercs coming towards them. Shepard got a hand to her pistol and followed him.

A man came out of the warehouse behind the mercs, examining a data pad and frowning. Garrus tensed when he saw him.

"There he is."

The man looked up and his eyes widened. "Shepard?" The Blue Suns were drawing their guns, but holding fire as they waited for orders. "Don't just stand there, stop them. Stop them!" he turned and sprinted back into the warehouse as Shepard drew and fired in one swift motion, her bullet punching clean through one man's neck joint before she took the second in the flank.

"Run all you want Harkin." Garrus drew his assault rifle and unfolded it. "We'll find you!"

They were two steps behind him when he punched at his datapad and one of the crates opened, revealing half a dozen LOKI mechs. Shepard skidded to cover as Garrus raked assault rifle fire across them. She primed an incendiary charge and lobbed it in, blasting them to bits.

They took off running again, but Harkin had given them the slip. They slowed and started to shift from cover to cover, working together flawlessly to keep the angles covered. There were a few more LOKI mechs that posed no problem to them and they came quickly to another warehouse, exactly the same as the first.

"Harkin's in here somewhere, I can smell him."

She put a hand on Garrus' forearm but he shook her off. "Let's just keep moving."

There were Blue Suns in the second warehouse, backed by mechs, but it was a paltry resistance. It took them less than five minute to cross to where a bridge separated a third warehouse area. Garrus had the same fixed look on his face, but he refused to even look at her as they moved into the area.

A hail of bullets welcomed them and Shepard glanced inside to see a much larger force of Blue Suns being led by a batarian in their commander's stripes. She shook her head and drew the Widow off her back, stepping out and finding him immediately in her scope. She put a bullet through the commander's insignia on his chest and ducked back as he dropped.

Without their commander the Blue Suns were momentarily uncoordinated and between the Anti-Material rifle and Garrus' assault rifle they dropped the entire force in seconds.

"He's gotta have something more up his sleeve," Garrus muttered as they saw a door on the far side of the warehouse. "What the hell is he up to?"

Through the door there was a control room, several computers and shipping manifests on the desks. Shepard opened up the computer and got to work on breaking through the firewalls.

"You worked with Harkin at C-Sec," she said as she worked.

"Yeah. He was a pain in the ass back then too. But I'm in no mood for his games. If he doesn't cooperate I'll beat him within an inch of his life."

She glanced up to see him leaning up against the window. "You seem to be getting tense Garrus."

"Harkin may know why Sidonis wanted to disappear. If so he knows why we're here, and I don't want him tipping Sidonis off." The metal plates in front of the window retracted and she looked up just in time to see a dark shape moving across the space beyond. Garrus ducked for cover. "Did you see that?"

She peered out from behind the computer, pulling her submachine gun. "I saw something."

"He's getting ready for us." Garrus moved to the door, assault rifle in hand. "Come on."

"Garrus wait."

"We really don't have time for this Shepard."

"Make time." She stayed out of sight as she moved over to him. "What are we doing here Garrus?"

"Getting the information out of Harkin."

"You know what I meant Garrus. Is he leaving under his own power?"

"That depends on how quickly he gives up the information. He's a coward Shepard, he'll break easily."

She gritted her teeth and slapped her helmet control, opening the door at the same time. They rolled to cover, Shepard taking in the room as she went. There were LOKI mechs and Blue Suns, but in nowhere near the numbers they had been earlier. She rested her submachine gun on the crate she was ducked behind and opened up, watching the bullets overload the shields. Garrus was waiting for the opening, and took out all the mercs with a single heat sink.

Harkin's voice sounded over the speaker system. "Nice try Garrus. I'm not going away that easy."

She found the window in the opposite wall, Harkin just behind it working some sort of console. Overhead the mechanical rails started moving, half a dozen crates hanging from magnetic clamps. Two other shapes detached and dropped to the floor, denting the metal on impact.

Garrus dropped back to her cover. "Mechs," he snarled.

"We can't take out two mechs, not without help."

"Commander."

"EDI?"

"I have been monitoring your communications and have a suggestion."

The ground shook as the mechs marched in unison towards them. "Let's have it, and quickly."

"The crates above are for transporting CL-20 for use in asteroid belt mining."

"The point EDI."

"Analysis indicates the CL-20 is being hot-stored for transportation."

"Got it." She turned to Garrus. "Explosives in the crates hot-stored." She switched to her rifle and aimed for one of the clamps, putting a round into it.

The crate dropped just behind the mechs, exploding on impact. The fire blast caught her shields as it blew over them, followed swiftly by the shockwave. Her teeth rattled in her head and she fought to get upright again.

One of the mechs was down and sparking, but the second was still standing, one arm hanging loose but the machine gun still blazing. She ducked behind cover again and cycled the action. Before she could find another crate Garrus fired and another massive explosion rippled over them, knocking her down again. The mech was down though, in bits inside a hole in the floor.

Shepard ran for the control room, trusting Garrus to follow. She came through the door with her pistol up and trained on Harkin. He was making for another door on the far side of the room. "You were close," he said. "But not eno-argh!"

Garrus had appeared through the door he wanted to escape through, grabbing Harkin by the neck and slamming him against the wall.

"So Fade," Garrus had a smile on his face, one she had never seen him make before. It looked twisted. "Couldn't make yourself disappear huh?"

To his credit, Harkin didn't flinch. "Come on Garrus, we can work this out. Whaddya need?"

"I'm looking for someone."

Garrus dropped him and holstered his pistol. Harkin brushed himself off and spread his arms. "Well I guess we both have something the other one wants."

Garrus whipped round and slammed his knee up between Harkin's legs. The man made an odd squeaking sound and dropped to the floor, curling into a ball. Shepard lowered her gun as well and stepped over, waiting until he had stopped moaning.

"We're not here to ask favours Harkin."

"You don't say." He crawled up the wall, one hand still covering his groin.

"You helped a friend of mine disappear. I need to find him."

"I might need a little more information than that."

"His name was Sidonis. Turian, came from the-"

"I know who he is. And I'm not telling you squat."

Garrus moved forwards, but stepped back at a look from her. She turned to Harkin and smiled.

"Harkin, this doesn't have to be hard."

"Screw you. I don't give out client information, it's bad for business."

Garrus grabbed him before she could stop him, throwing him to the floor and stepping on him. "You know what else is bad for business?" He sounded calm. Way too calm for what he was doing. "A broken neck."

"All right, all right, get off me."

Garrus didn't move. She stepped forwards and gripped his arm hard. When he looked back his eyes blazed, but he backed down almost at once.

"Terminus really changed you, huh Garrus?" Harkin got back up again, massaging his throat.

"No. But Sidonis." He looked to Shepard, then back again. "Opened my eyes. Now arrange a meeting."

Harkin looked like he might protest more, but Shepard glared at him and he looked to the floor. "I'm going."

As he made the call Shepard kept a close eye on Garrus, who was looking worse and worse.

"Yeah it's me. There's a chance your identity might be compromised." Someone on the other end of the call chattered. "That's why I'm calling. I'm sending an agent. Where do you want to meet?" More chatter. "All right, he'll be there. Don't worry, I got it covered. It's all good." He signed off and turned to the two of them, smiling broadly. "He wants to meet you in front of Orbital Lounge. Middle of the day. So if our business is done, I'll be going."

Garrus had drawn his pistol when Shepard wasn't looking. "I don't think so. You're a criminal now Harkin." He stepped forwards and grabbed Harkin by the lapel.

Harkin sneered at him. "So what? You're just going to kill me? That's not your style Garrus."

"Kill you? No." He stepped back. "But I don't mind slowing you down a little."

He snapped the pistol up, aiming for Harkin's knee. Shepard grabbed his arm and shoved it away, the round going into the wall. "You don't need to shoot him. He won't be able to hide from C-Sec now."

Garrus struggled against her for a moment, then subsided. "I guess it's your lucky day," he said to Harkin.

"Yeah. I hope we can do this again real soon."

She could probably have stopped him. At least afterwards she thought she could have. He stepped past her and slammed his head into Harkin, hard enough to break the skin. Harkin dropped, unconscious.

Garrus turned and walked past her. "I didn't shoot him."

"Let's just get out of here."

"Sidonis better be there, or I'm coming back to finish the job."

/|\

He waited until they were in the shuttle on the way back before he spoke again. "Harkin's a bloody menace. We shouldn't have just let him go, he deserved to be punished."

"Just stop it Garrus."

"Stop, what?"

"This Dirty Harry routine. It's not you."

"What do you want from me Shepard? What would you do if someone betrayed you?"

"I wouldn't let it change me, that's for sure."

"I would've said the same thing before it happened to me."

They had landed now, and he stepped out to survey the layout. "It's not too late," she said, getting out behind him. "You don't have to go through with this."

He wheeled round and glared down at her, "Who's going to bring Sidonis to justice if I don't? Nobody else knows what he's done. Nobody else cares." She held her ground until he backed away a step. "I don't see any other options."

"Let me talk to him."

"Talk all you want but it won't change my mind. I don't care what his reasons were. He screwed us. He deserves to die."

"I understand what you're going through. But do you really want to kill him?" She almost couldn't believe what she was hearing from him.

"I appreciate your concern. But I'm not you."

"But this isn't you either."

"Really? I've always hated injustice. The thought that Sidonis could get away with this? Why should he go on living while ten good men lie in unmarked graves?" Some of the exhaustion she had seen in him seemed to come back. Before she could say anything he turned away to look at the lounge. "I'm sorry Shepard. Words aren't going to solve this problem. I need to set up. I can get a clear shot from over there."

She felt resolve settling in herself as well. "What do you need me to do?"

"Keep him talking and don't get in my way. I'll let you know when he's in my sights. Give me a signal so I know you're ready and I'll take the shot. You'd better go, he'll be here soon."

She left him up on the walkway as she headed down to the street level. Almost at once her earpiece crackled. "Shepard, can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear."

"All right there he is." She looked to the only turian on the street, sitting on a bench outside. "Wave him over and keep him talking."

She raised a hand and caught Sidonis' attention. "Let's just get this over with."

Guessing roughly what Garrus' line of sight would be she shifted slightly as Sidonis came into view. "You're in my shot, move to the side."

She ignored him. "Listen Sidonis, I'm here to help you."

The turian leaned in close, looking scared. She shifted her head to keep it between Sidonis and Garrus. "Don't ever say that name aloud."

"I'm a friend of Garrus'. He wants you dead, but I'm hoping that's not necessary."

Sidonis stepped back. "Garrus? Is this some kind of joke?"

"Dammit Shepard if he moves I'm taking the shot."

She took a breath and tried to hold Sidonis' eyes. He recognised the sincerity in her eyes. "You're not kidding are you?" He looked around, a little wild-eyed. "Screw this; I'm not sticking around to find out. Tell Garrus I had my own problems."

He turned to leave and for a moment she realised he was in the line of fire. She stepped close enough that they were practically hugging and hissed into his ear. "Don't move."

He tried to get away but she grabbed his arms. "Get off me."

"I'm the only thing standing between you and a hole in the head."

His defiance left him and he dropped his head. "Fuck. Look, I didn't want to do it. But I didn't have a choice."

Garrus could clearly hear him over the comm. unit. "Everyone has a choice."

"They got to me, said they'd kill me if I didn't help. What was I supposed to do?" She resisted the urge to tell him he should have resisted. It was too late to change his actions, but she could hope to change Garrus'.

"Let me take the shot Shepard, he's a damn coward."

She tried to ignore the prickling on her neck from where she knew Garrus' crosshairs would be focused. She forced herself to stay calm. "You were just trying to save yourself?"

"I know what I did. I know they died because of me, and I have to live with that." He started to walk, aimlessly. "I wake up every night sick, and sweating. Each of their faces staring at me. Accusing me." He came to a rest against some railings, hanging his head down. "I'm already a dead man. I don't sleep. Food has no taste. Some days, I just want it to be over."

"Just give me the chance."

She turned and found the glint of his scope. "You've got to let it go Garrus, he's already paying for his crime."

"He hasn't paid enough, he still has his life."

She stepped forward, certain he now had his shot. She just had to hope that Garrus was focusing on her. "Look at him Garrus, he's not alive. There's nothing left to kill."

"My men." She could imagine his face now, and wished she was talking to him properly. "They deserved better."

Sidonis looked over to her. "Tell Garrus…" He dropped his head again. "I guess there's nothing I can say to make it right."

She stared at the glint of the scope, praying. "Just…" The glint disappeared and she breathed again. "Go. Tell him to go."

Trying to calm herself down again she turned to Sidonis. "He's giving you a second chance Sidnois. Don't waste it."

"I'll try." He looked up to where Shepard had been staring. "Garrus, I'll make it up to you somehow." He held out a hand to Shepard. It was shaking badly. "Thank you for talking to him."

She nodded and he turned to walk away, and everything about him looked broken.

Back on the walkway Garrus was sitting by the shuttle, resting his head against his upright rifle.

"I know you wanna talk about this. But I don't. Not yet."

"I know it didn't go the way you planned. But I think it's for the best."

"I'm not so sure."

"Give it time."

"Yeah. Maybe that'll be enough. I wanna know I did the right thing, not for me, but for my men. They deserved to be avenged. But when Sidonis was in my sights I just couldn't do it."

"The lines between good and evil blur when we're looking at people we know." _Not that there's any irony in that statement right now._

"Yeah. There was still good in him. I could see it. So much easier to see the world in black and white. Grey. I don't know what to do with grey."

She sat down next to him. "You have got to go with your instincts."

"My instincts are what got me into this mess."

"Don't be too hard on yourself."

He was silent for a little longer, then turned to smile at her. It was weary, but it was real. "Thanks Shepard, for everything. Let's get going, I need some distance from this place."

**AN:-**Once more I changed some of the lines to better reflect my characterisation of their relationship over the game. Obviously the game has to accommodate both a close relationship and just an acquaintance, which obviously doesn't fit when I'm writing a novel of it.

I quite like writing Shepard and Joker. Especially with new fun-having Shepard. The stuff about Mindoir isn't backed up by canon at all but it's something I've often wondered about. There's lot of specifics about colonies which are never explored, so I'm mostly free to make stuff up. In the previous book I also had Shepard talk about her colony promoting heteronormative values because fertility treatments are expensive so they prefer people to make more generations the old fashioned way. The Treasure Island stuff is partly because I really like Treasure Island, and partly because of a Star Trek novel I have where it plays a part. (the novel is The Pandora Principle by Carolyn Clowes, and it's very good, I recommend it if you can find it)

In the first novelisation my Shepard never spoke to Harkin, thus there's no way to call back. So I made it more of a general knowledge thing. She knows the first human in C-Sec's name, but little else.


	39. Chapter 38: Sins of the Father

**AN:- **Longest chapter so far.

**Chapter Thirty-Eight: Sins of the Father**

Even as she stepped back onto the ship she ran into Thane, who was looking worried, she guessed. "Commander, I have received information regarding my son. The timing of his mission is not what I would have expected. We must hurry if we are to prevent disaster."

Garrus frowned at her but she waved him away. "Let's get going," she said to Thane.

They marched back along the dock at a rapid clip. There was tension clearly visible in him.

"What's the lead?"

"We need to speak with C-Sec. They will have logged any incoming drell. We are not so common a species."

They got into one of the shuttles and Shepard started it up. "I know Commander Bailey. He'll tell us what we need."

/|\

As they came back up to his desk Bailey raised an eyebrow at her. "This is becoming a bad habit Commander. That business in the Factory District? Very messy."

"A few less mercenaries and a man who was helping them infiltrate key positions behind bars? This is a bad thing?"

"Don't get smart with me. If all your missions involve shooting up local businesses we're going to have problems."

"Not this time. My associate is trying to find his son. We think a local criminal may have hired him."

Bailey considered her, then Thane, then turned to his computer. "This should be easy, we don't see too many drell here." A second later the computer pinged. "There we go. One of my men reported a drell recently. And he was talking to Mouse, interesting,"

Thane came round to read the computer screen. "Mouse?"

"Ah, petty criminal. Probably not the guy who hired your boy but a messenger. He's a former duct rat. Runs errands for anyone who'll pay."

_Duct rat? Later "_I think I've heard enough," she said.

"Mouse is usually upstairs outside the Dark Star. He works out of a comm terminal." Bailey grinned at her. "You should pick up a copy of the Shepard VI when you talk to him." He looked back to Thane and his expression sobered. "Sounds like your boy's running with the wrong crowd."

"Yes, I agree."

She thought she sensed some sort of understanding between them, but it was gone in a moment. "If Mouse can't get you in touch with your son directly he'll know who can. I'll help you if you need it."

"You don't know us Captain. Why are you going so far to help us?"

He grinned again, but it held bitterness. "I've worked Zakera for two years. Every day kids turn to crime because they've got no other choice. Because their parents don't care. You're trying to save yours."

"He faces a dark path."

Shepard sensed another moment between the two men, and she knew Bailey wasn't giving her the full story. But pushing at personal issues wouldn't solve the problem at hand. For once. "We better hurry then."

Once they were out of the station he turned to her. "You didn't tell him that Kolyat plans to assassinate someone."

"He's a cop. He'd try to stop Kolyat. And one of them could end up dead. I don't want that."

"Yes, of course. Thank you Shepard."

"What are duct rats?" Shepard asked as they walked.

"They are homeless children of the Citadel who travel in the ventilation system of the station.

"That can't be safe."

"Many of them disappear. I suspect they die by sudden deadfalls, laceration by fan blades; starving to death; or suffocating because of exposure to the open vacuum of space. Oftentimes, they are never found."

She shook her head. "It never ceases to amaze me how many horrible things can simply be accepted."

"There are worse things on the Citadel than the deaths of children."

Upstairs they quickly spotted a young man working at a terminal, speaking quickly. "Yeah sure. I can get you two cases by the end of the day."

Shepard tapped him on the shoulder and he whirled round. "You Mouse?" She asked.

"What are you." He spotted Thane and recoiled, banging into the terminal. "Oh shit Krios, I thought you retired." He looked back to her and recognition flashed in his eyes. "Commander Shepard? I thought you died. What do you want with me?"

Thane held up his hand. "Be still Mouse. You can change your pants in a moment."

It was a struggle to keep the grin off her face. She hadn't suspected Thane could be funny. "How do you know Thane?"

"Krios? He didn't. Uh, if he didn't say nothing I ain't either."

She looked curiously to the assassin, who smiled at her. "When I heard the name I didn't think it could be the same Mouse. He was a contact on the citadel when I was active. He and some other children would gather information on my targets."

"You put children in danger to spy for you?" And she hadn't suspected he would be so callous.

"Children, the poor." There was no apology in his expression. "My people's word for their kind is drala'fa, the Ignored. They're everywhere, see everything, yet they are never seen." He turned back to Mouse, who flinched a little. Shepard wondered what exactly their relationship had been to provoke that response. "You gave another drell instructions for an assassination. Who's the target?"

"I, I don't know. I didn't ask, 'cause the people I work for, they can make me disappear. I'd like to help you Krios. You've always done right by us. But I ain't gonna die for you."

She stepped closer, only a few inches away from him. It was hard to miss the way his eyes flicked down to her chest. "Look, you know Thane. He wouldn't ask if it wasn't important. Do it for him."

"I want to. He was always nice to us." She saw it in his eyes when he decided to cooperate. "But these people ain't nice Krios."

She stepped back again. "No one's gonna know you talked to us."

He still looked to Thane. _Interesting. _"Mouse, I swear that you won't be named."

"Alright, alright. He came with that holo you took of me. Said he wanted a job. I ran through your old contacts to see who might give him a shot. The guy who offered was Elias Kelham."

The name didn't ring a bell for either of them. "Tell me about Kelham."

"Human, moved to the Citadel about ten years ago. He was little people when you were here Krios. He got big after the geth attack. Lots of the big guys from before got cacked, all living up in big fancy apartments up in the presidium. Now he runs the rackets on the lower end of the ward. Shin Akiba. He's seriously bad news."

It was enough for her. "You did good Mouse."

"Yeah, if I live long enough to pat myself on the back."

"Kelham will never know."

"I hope not. I'm not a hero Krios. Next time you're in town, just don't bring the family." He slunk away, disappearing into the crowd.

"That couldn't have been easy," she said.

"Mouse knew more about my life than Kolyat ever did." His posture abruptly changed and he swayed slightly in place. "He smiles up at me, broken teeth and scabby knees, bare feet black. A deadened future looking up at me. Worshipping the petty gifts I offer." He drew breath and snapped back to reality as if nothing had happened. "I was the only good thing he had back then. But then I left. As I left Kolyat.

She didn't question the moment he had just had. If he wasn't worried then she wouldn't be either. Possibly it was a side effect of his illness. Or a species thing. She would have to check with Chakwas. "Mouse said you had a holo of him?"

"Yes. A foolish bit of sentimentality. I can perfectly recall every moment I spent with mouse." He swayed again and his speech sped up. "He pulls at my arm, smiles, he wants to know that I'll remember him, that anyone will remember him. I take the holo. He smiles at himself in miniature in my palm. Then a frown crinkles his brow, he pats my pockets checking for other holos. 'Where's your son Krios?' he asks."

When he came back she started to lead the way back to the C-Sec station. "Don't blame yourself."

"If I don't who will? We must carry the weight of our decisions Shepard. You of all people know this."

She didn't have a response to that."

/|\

Bailey didn't even glance up as they approached the desk. "Can we talk about my associate's son?" She asked.

"You talked to Mouse." He looked up and grinned. "Did you get the name of the guy he's working with?"

"Elias Kelham."

"Kelham. Shit." He glanced around, and she realised he was making sure his colleagues weren't near. "Ah, look, this is awkward. Kelham and I have an agreement. He doesn't cause too much trouble and buys tickets to the C-Sec Charity Ball from me." He didn't need to make the air quotes but he did anyway. "In return I ignore him."

She tried not to feel too disappointed. She didn't know Bailey too well, but he had impressed her before. "He pays you off." She folded her arms and glared down at him. "You were eager to help us before. What about now? Is it too inconvenient?"

He looked past her to Thane. "I said I'd help. It's just, there'll be repercussions if I don't handle it right. He and I, we give each other space. It keeps the peace. I'll get some of my people to bring him in and set him up in a private room. You can interrogate him yourself. I'll stay out of sight and if I'm lucky Kelham will believe I had nothing to do with it."

It didn't sit right, but then not much did lately. "Bring him in. we might not have much time."

"I'll make it happen. Wait here."

It took barely half an hour before a couple of uniforms brought by someone past them. He was middle aged and had some scars mostly hidden behind a neat beard, and his eyes were hard and cold. Shepard watched him as he was dragged into the interrogation room. He was calm and collected, clearly making note of the faces of the people in the station as he went by.

"Your estimation?" Thane asked.

"There's only two types of gangsters who make it past their thirties. The ones who have protection from higher up and the ones who are tougher and smarter than all the rest."

"And which is our man?"

"I suspect the latter."

"That will make things difficult."

The C-Sec officers came back out of the interrogation room. Shepard kicked off the wall she was leaning on and rolled her shoulders. "We've got Kelham," she said to the officers. "Tell Bailey we're ready."

Bailey wandered out from his hiding place in the security checkpoint. "He'll expect me to get him out of this."

Thane's smile was cold. "Not today I think."

One of the turian officers hurried over. "Captain, his lawyer's here. Bet Elias has his VI set to page him if C-Sec gets within ten meters."

Bailey was all-business. "I'll stall him, get in there and work fast."

They made for the interrogation room, Thane turning to her just before they went in. "We should question him together, keep the pressure on. Thoughts on how we approach it?"

"You convince him that we'll put a bullet in his head if he doesn't talk. Once he's scared I come in as the good cop. He'll cooperate."

Thane nodded. "Very well, I'll pretend I'm ready to kill him. We can't push too hard though. We need information more than we need a corpse."

The door cycled open to reveal Kelham restrained on a metal bed. Shepard noted old blood stains on the headrest and the floor around it. She remembered the first time she had met Bailey and felt her mental defences shifting into place. At the very least her time with Chakwas made her aware of them.

He had heard the door open but clearly hadn't seen them yet. "Get me out of these restraints Bailey. Pretty funny bringing me down here like this." He looked over and noticed them. "Who the hell are you two?"

She walked to stand in front of him while Thane moved behind. "Bailey has nothing to do with this," she said. "We just want a few answers, off the record."

"Off the record? In a C-Sec interrogation room? Sure."

"You hired an assassin." Thane moved up right behind him. "Who do you want dead?"

"I want to see my advocate."

"You apparently haven't noticed we're not C-Sec." He was every inch the assassin she had imagined he would be now. "No deals. No due process. No advocate."

"And that's supposed to scare me? You two are in way over your heads."

He moved so fast Shepard almost didn't see it. A sharp crack across the back of Kelham's head that knocked the man forwards. "Pay attention Mr Kelham."

Kelham bared his teeth at them. "That wasn't a good idea kid, this is gonna cost you."

Shepard just watched as Thane leaned low over him. "We'll see about that."

"Hit me again asshole."

Thane drove a fist hard into his gut, cutting off whatever else he was going to say. "Works for me."

Kelham sputtered and struggled for breath, finally laying back on the bed and spitting at her. "Do you know what I'll do to you when I get outta here?"

"Please continue." Thane cracked his knuckles. "Please."

"Go to hell!"

That was her cue to step forwards and grab him, putting on the show. "Ease up."

Kelham seemed to buy it, relaxing a little on the bed. "Are we done here? Because I got people to see. Like the guy who's gonna sue your ass for assault."

"How about this." As Thane went back to his corner she leaned in close and lowered her voice. "You tell us the target, and you never see us again. And Bailey drops his price fifty percent." Nothing wrong with slowing down the bribery on the station at the same time.

"Yeah? Can I get that in writing?"

She matched his sneer with a conspiratorial grin. "I don't think either of us wants this in writing."

"All right. I ain't going to jail for the tadpole." Thane turned back at that and stalked closer. Elias twitched a little. "Joram Talid. Turian running for office on the Zakera Ward. He messes with legitimate businessmen. I'm going to stop it."

Thane moved in close again, pushing Shepard aside. "Where and when?"

"His apartment. The 800 blocks. You'd better hurry."

The door cycled open and a man started shouting. "What's going on here, get away from my client."

Thane backed away, allowing a smile to slip through his cold face. Elias' jaw went slack. "You, you played me!"

She walked by, patting him on the shoulder. "I enjoyed our chat Elias, thanks for the help."

"This isn't over."

Thane joined her. "Nicely done."

"Wait." They turned back to Kelham, who was being shushed by his attorney. "You got what you wanted, who ratted me out?"

"I guess you have something to think about while you're in here, huh?" Shepard gave him a quick salute. "Citadel Security thanks you for your cooperation."

I'll find out. And once I have a name I'll…"

"Elias, as your legal counsel I'm advising you to shut the hell up."

The last thing they heard as the door cycled closed was Kelham rounding on his lawyer. "Where were you five minutes ago?"

"Held up in traffic."

Bailey was waiting for them outside. "What's the story? Why'd Kelham hire the boy?"

It was finally time to let him in on it. "Assassination. A turian named Jorum Talid. You know him?"

"Joram? Yeah. You might have seen his pictures around. He's promising to end organised crime on the Ward. Thing is his message is all mixed up in race politics. He's anti human."

She had known the factions existed. But not that they were so bad. "Are things so bad that people can openly campaign as anti-human?"

"Before the battle of the Citadel the alien population thought we were violent upstarts. Look what's happened since then! A human fleet guarding the station for months, C-Sec filled with humans." She almost offered the immediate justification she had heard from so many news stations. It was all necessary in the wake of the geth invasion. "Anderson does what he can, but some people have lived on this station since before humans had star ships. They see it as a coup."

"If a majority votes for him, like it or not, that's how the system works." One of the teachers from the Officer Training came back to her. 'Winston Churchill once put it best. Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.'

Apparently Bailey wasn't a fan of the classics. "That's a nice ideal Shepard." He turned to the turian officer. "Sergeant. Get a patrol car, these two need to get to the 800 blocks."

/|\

It was a short hop, and they found him almost at once, talking to voters at the entrance to the apartments. Thane zeroed in on him in a second. "There he is.

"How do you wanna play this?" She asked.

"Follow Talid on the maintenance catwalks. Tell me what he's doing. The krogan bodyguard will make him easy to follow."

She found the bodyguard easily enough. He was wearing bright red armour and practically glued to Talid's shoulder. "Where will you be?"

"The darkest corner with the best view."

She didn't waste anymore time, walking straight over to a door and passing one of Tali's universal override programmes over it. Good for any basic lock. By the time she reached the walkway Thane had disappeared.

Her earpiece buzzed. "Shepard?"

"I'm on him Thane, he's still talking to voters."

"Understood."

"You're in position?"

"Yes."

Talid started moving, but from above it was child's play to follow him. He seemed to be pretty much a regular politician. He stayed away from the humans milling around and focused on the turians, but aside from that there was nothing suspicious about him.

Thane's voice broke into her thoughts. "Have you got him?"

"Looks like he's talking to another voter."

"Any sign of Kolyat?"

She hadn't seen any sign of a drell in the crowd. "No."

"I'm moving to another position. Ahead of him."

Talid was moving as well. She followed from above, trying to stave off boredom. Even the threat of assassination couldn't make it any more exciting to follow a politician as he canvassed people. Thane checked in every few minutes, but there were no more updates.

They had moved from more open areas to what looked like a commerce sector. Shops lined the walls, and once more Talid was going from group to group shaking hands and kissing babies when he suddenly stopped to lean against the outside of a shop. She frowned and activated her helmet, then switched on the auto-zoom.

The store owner seemed to be human. As she watched Talid's bodyguard leaned over the counter and grabbed the man by the neck. The angle was wrong for her to read his lips, but it was pretty clear what was happening.

"Can you give me an update?"

"Looks like they're threatening humans. Kelham mentioned them threatening legitimate businessmen, looks like that wasn't a euphemism for something."

The krogan came out of the door running, Talid right on his tail. Shepard took off after them.

"They're rabbiting, I'm in pursuit."

"Understood."

They kept up the pace right through the residential district and out into the entertainment strip before they slowed down. "I'm still with them," she told Thane. "Looks like they're going into a nightclub."

She caught a glimpse of a bright neon sign as they ducked inside, proclaiming the club to be 'i-NOVA.' It wasn't one she had heard of, but then most of the places she knew on the Citadel related to crime in some way.

"I don't have a good angle, what's he doing?"

She slipped through another one of the maintenance doorways and was just in time to see the krogan grabbing the bartender, just like he had the shop owner. "One of his guards is talking to the bartender, looks like a shakedown."

He was already moving on, leaving the bartender looking genuinely shaken. She wondered just what Talid had over the humans in the neighbourhood. In the very next room she watched him walk up to a group of mean looking krogan. They wore similar armour to his bodyguard, but it was marked with the proper tags this time.

"Crap."

"What's wrong?"

"He's meeting a couple of mercenaries, looks like Blood Pack. And I'm guessing his bodyguard is as well."

"Blood Pack are illegal on the Citadel. Clearly he has connections."

"Especially if he's organising meetings in public places like this."

"He's nervous, maybe he's spotted you."

"Or possibly he spotted Kolyat."

"There are obstructions ahead, I'll move ahead and try to spot him."

"Understood. I'm moving to a new vantage point."

She found another door and opened it up, slipping through and running straight into a young man dressed in work man's clothes.

Before she could even turn around he spotted her. "Hey, who are you?"

In nine out of ten instances bluff and bravado could carry you through any situation. "I'm Citadel Health and Safety. We've had vermin reports in the storage areas around here."

"What? You can't be serious!" She had to admit that as she stood there in combat armour with an arsenal on her body it was a big story to swallow. She clenched her fist in case this was the one in ten. "How did you get in here?"

"If I didn't have authorisation, how would I get in?" She gestured behind "You see any other doors?" She stepped closer. "Now are you going to let me do my job or am I going to have to take your name for my report?"

I'm really not sure… I should call my supervisor."

She made a big show of opening up her omni tool. "Alright then. For the record your name is?"

She stared at him expectantly, and he balked a little under her gaze. For a moment she found herself wondering just how legal his employment was in this nightclub. Imagining the fear he was going through made her feel guilty.

"Just, just go on through, okay?"

She opened up the comm. Line again as she moved through the door. "Thane I got held up. I don't have eyes on repeat I do not have eyes on."

"Shepard I can't see him. Find him."

She stared down into the crowd, forcing herself to relax and let her sniper's training take over. Instead of looking from face to face she let her peripheral vision get to work. She found the krogan and turian, running again, back towards the residential districts. Frowning, she looked behind to see someone sprinting after them.

"Kolyat!" She vaulted over the railings and dropped ten feet to the decking, rolling and coming up in a sprint behind him. He was utterly focused though, raising the pistol in his hand and firing wild.

The krogan turned with a shotgun in his hands. She swore and drew her pistol but Kolyat was there first, emptying his clip and hitting the krogan with every shot. The bodyguard dropped but Talid was already ducking into an apartment, presumably his own. She put on a burst of speed to try and catch Kolyat but he had too much of a lead on her.

From ahead another figure appeared from the shadows, running for the apartment.

They drew level. "Thane."

"I saw."

"He's in the apartment."

They crashed through the door and came to a halt as they took in the scene. Talid was on his knees, hands raised, and behind him stood Kolyat, a Carnifax pushed into the back of the turian's head. Thane stepped forwards as Shepard went left, raising her pistol and training it on him, just in case.

"Kolyat."

"This, this is a joke." Kolyat's voice betrayed just how young he really was. Shepard wouldn't even have put him at twenty. "Now, now you show up?"

"Help me drell," Talid stammered. "I'll do whatever you want."

There was another crash behind them and Kolyat flinched badly enough that Shepard thought he would shoot. "C-Sec." It was Bailey. "Put the gun down son." He appeared on Shepard's other side, a gun out and his turian sergeant in tow.

Kolyat was heading towards panic, she could see it in his eyes. Thane seemed to be almost incapacitated just seeing him and the turian was raising his rifle. "Get out of my way." Kolyat jabbed the gun into Talid's neck. "I'm walking out, he's coming with me."

Thane finally spoke. "They'll have snipers outside." His voice was soft, almost fatherly.

"I don't need your help."

The turian was getting ready to fire, she made a snap decision and fired, shooting out the lamp just behind Kolyat and knocking it to the desk. The crash made everyone jump, and Kolyat turned to see what had made the noise.

"What the hell?"

She stepped close, grabbed his gun in one hand and punched him hard on the jaw. He reeled back against the desk and yelped. She disassembled the gun and dropped it next to Talid.

"Talid get the hell out of here."

He didn't wait around, scrabbling out of the door and leaving them alone in the office.

Bailey had dropped his gun. "Take the boy into custody."

"You son of a bitch!"

She stepped between them, meeting Kolyat's eyes. "I didn't come all this way for you to throw a tantrum Kolyat. Your father wants to talk to you. I promised him that I'd make that happen."

"What? So you came to get my forgiveness? It's a bit late for that."

Thane finally unfroze, taking Shepard's place between him and the cops. "I came to grant you peace. You're angry because I wasn't there when your mother died."

"You weren't there when she was alive, why should you be there when she died?" Shepard heard old hurt in his voice.

"Your mother." Thane seemed to be fighting something. She wondered how hard the memory flashes she had seen hit him. "They killed her to get to me. It was my fault."

"What?"

"After her body was given to the deep I went to find them. The trigger men. The ringleaders. I hurt them, eventually killed them." Once more she realised just what he must have been like before his retirement. "When I went back to see you you were, older. I should have stayed with you."

"I guess it's too bad for me you waited so long huh?"

"Kolyat. I've taken many bad things out of this world. You're the only good thing I ever added to it."

There was a long moment of silence. Shepard didn't want to break it, but she was painfully aware of the cops just to her right.

Thankfully Bailey saved her any further awkwardness. "This isn't a conversation you should have in front of strangers. Boys, take Kolyat and his father back to the precinct. Give them a room and as much time as they need."

As the cops dragged Kolyat away, Thane following close behind, she turned to Bailey. "I'm surprised you're letting him do that."

"You think he's the only man who ever screwed up raising a son?" And finally every bit of the puzzle fit into place. She looked away as he wiped his face. "Come on I have to get back to the precinct. I'll give you a lift."

/|\

Strangely enough, waiting outside the cell was the most difficult part of the previous few hours. It wasn't made any easier as the exhaustion of the day hit her. She was almost grateful the mission with Thane had given Garrus some distance from her. They needed to talk though, and soon. First she needed rest though, before her body simply shut down after running on adrenaline so long. She checked the time and calculated that she had been going flat out for somewhere in the region of twelve hours. Bailey kept looking over at her but she stayed still and silent in her chair. Eventually he spoke without prompting.

"Kid's been through a lot. I ran some searches in the C-Sec archives. About ten years back a bunch of real bad people were killed, like someone was cleaning house. The prime suspect was a drell. We never caught him."

He was looking for a response from her. "Ten years is a long time. Whoever was responsible for that probably doesn't exist anymore." She didn't need to point out the dangers inherent in trying to arrest a master assassin while a SPECTRE who had once fought a Reaper was on his side.

"Yeah. I guess you're right about that."

The door opened and Thane walked out, looking as calm and collected as ever. She thought she saw tension in his shoulders though. The same tension she had seen before that marked his calm as a façade.

"How'd it go?" She asked as he drew level.

"Our problems… They aren't something I can fix with a few words. We'll keep talking, see what happens."

"Your boy shot some people. No one I feel sympathy for, but there it is."

Shepard stood and walked over to his desk. "I watched those guys shaking down businesses and threatening humans."

"But he can't just get away with it."

She looked back to Thane, who was lost in memory again. "Kid wants to make a difference. Give him community service."

"Community service for attempted murder? What jury would agree to that?"

"None that I've seen." She leaned in closer. "This would need to stay out of the judiciary. Strictly within C-Sec."

"Interesting, I'll think about it."

She had no doubt he would. She straightened and saluted. "Thank you captain."

He returned the salute. "Pleasure working with you Commander."

"And if you have any problems with this matter, you do have a SPECTRE backing your play."

"I'll remember that."

No response seemed necessary, so she simply led Thane back to the ship.

**AN:- **This is the longest chapter yet so I'm sure no one's going to read this author's note but I like to include then anyway in case people are interested about my writing process.

Lots of stuff got moved around or changed for this chapter. The duct rat conversation was given to Thane, since having it with Bailey felt a little too much like 'standard Bioware dialogue tree' to me. The sort of thing Yahtzee of Zero Punctuation mocks. 'Hello, I want to talk about your living room.' 'Well I have a speaker system installed that's-' 'Tell me more about your speaker system. Tell me more about music. Tell me more about sound.' Just very inorganic way of getting exposition across. Thane knows the area, knows the kids. So when she hears unfamiliar slang she asks her teammate instead of the cop. Also the entire interrogation sequence was basically rewritten. Once more my issues with the game shine through. I want to play a Paragon, so stop putting me in positions where there are only Renegade options. Let me play good cop to Thane's bad cop, not both bad cops or only he has the option to play good cop. He's the well known assassin and killer of bad men, I'm supposed to be a well respected hero.

Quite a bit of the following Talid scene had to be made up as well. I got the bug where Shepard's dialogue in response to Thane doesn't trigger for some reason. I watched a couple of walkthroughs but they were all either silent or had the same problem so I just did what I could. I think it's pretty close. I also changed the bit with the stock room boy, and made it have more of an impact in holding Shepard up. Some of the narration was borrowed, oddly enough, from the novelisation of Men in Black. There's some stuff K thinks about just being ballsy enough that no one bothers to question you. I also took some inspiration from the novel White Star, which is a novel about an ex-Sniper. At one point he discusses the best way to search out inconsistencies in a tableau, which isn't to focus on things or to randomly move your head around but to try and take in the whole picture and let your brain sort out what shouldn't be there, in this case the people running.

And finally I changed some dialogue during the Kolyat end scene. It just felt a bit hinky to me that Shepard would be the one to tell Kolyat his father is dying when Thane is standing right there. I don't think Shepard would do that. So she doesn't.


	40. Chapter 39: Choosing Sides

**AN:- **This is going to sound like the most ridiculously shameless self promotion but I would genuinely recommend reading my one-shot 'Broken Mirror' before reading this fic. There's a lot of Miranda's characterisation I'm cribbing from my own story.

**Chapter Thirty-Nine: Choosing Sides**

Despite the odd hours she was keeping she wasn't surpised when garrus came strolling down from the battery shortly after she had sat to eat. She half suspected he was spying on her.

"Can't sleep either?" She asked as he gathered his meal from the small section of the food preparation unit set aside just for him and Tali.

"A few things on my mind."

"I can imagine."

He brought over what looked like a regular steak and sat down to eat it. She watched him closely, but he seemed to be lacking the tension he had carried before. In its place was something different. Not quite his old self, he still seemed weighed down by troubles, but his expression seemed lighter, and he was actually enjoying his food instead of simply mechanically chewing and swallowing. And he had actually made something resembling a meal instead of the MREs he had favoured the last few weeks.

"I wanted to thank you for your help with Sidonis." He looked up and met her eyes. "No matter what else happens with the Collectors or the Reapers or whoever else comes after us. I know you'll get the job done."

She didn't want to push at the old hurt that was still clearly there. He might be thanking her, but she didn't think he was convinced of his decision quite yet. "You actually think we'll find something worse than the Collectors, or the Reapers?"

"I like to expect the worst. There's a small chance I'll be pleasantly surprised."

Well at least nihilistic and depressing was better than rage that would burn him alive. Now she just had to keep him from burning out. "While we're sharing serious thoughts then. You know I couldn't do this without you Garrus."

"Sure you could. Not as stylishly of course." He went back to his meal. She was glad they were alone and in an informal setting, it seemed to be prompting him to open up much easier. "It's strange going into a suicide mission on a human ship. Your people don't prepare for high risk operations the way turians do."

"How do turian crews get ready for high risk missions?" She had of course read up on turian culture and differences, but the dry text of a codex entry was never a substitute for the real experience.

"With violence usually. Turian ships have more operational discipline than your Alliance, but fewer personal restrictions." That matched what she already knew. "Our commanders run us tight and they know we need to blow off steam. Turian ships have training rooms for exercise or combat sims, even full contact sparring, whatever lets people work off stress." That was not in the instructional manual.

"You mean turian ships have crewmembers fighting each other before a mission?" She tried to imagine the chaos that would cause on the Normandy. At the very least one of Miranda or Jack would already be paste on a bulkhead.

"It's supervised of course; nobody's going to risk an injury that interferes with the mission. And it's a good way to settle grudges amicably."

"Maybe we should lock some of our crew up together. I bet Mordin and Grunt would make for a hell of a show."

"Particularly given Mordin's work with the genophage project?" He held up a hand and smiled his craftiest smile. "Please Shepard, I knew about him from the moment he came on board."

"Just don't go spreading that around alright?"

"You don't have to worry about that. Of course I was starting to think we should maybe lock you and Miranda up somewhere for a private sparring match. Until that business of Ilium of course."

"We were really that bad?"

He just grinned, turning back to his steak. "I remember right before one mission. We were about to hit a batarian pirate squad, very risky. This recon scout and I had been at each other's throats, nerves mostly. She suggested we settle it in the ring."

She couldn't imagine that had gone well for the scout. "I assume you took her down gently?"

"Actually she and I were the top ranked hand to hand specialists on the ship. I had reach but she flexibility. It was brutal." His smile didn't suggest that. "After nine rounds the judges called it a draw. There were a lot of unhappy betters in the training room." He seemed now to be staring at his plate very intently. "We uh, ended up holding a tie breaker in her quarters, I had reach but she had flexibility. More than one way to work of stress I guess."

She could only grin at that. And after all her own past didn't exactly mean she could comme- wait a minute. "You said you wanted to lock me and Miranda into a room together. Garrus you got a smutty mind!"

"Perhaps I spoke out of turn. But then you and she did seem to have quite a lot of the uh, tension."

"Alright I think that's enough before I throw up my meal."

He chuckled. "As you wish."

"Oh don't tell me you've started watching human movies as well."

"Actually it was Liara who suggested I try, back when we were on the first Normandy. She said she had learned much from watching Honour and Blood, and suggested that I might try to do the same."

"And you chose The Princess Bride."

"She recommended it. Said it was one of your favourite movies."

"I'm, surprisingly touched. But why didn't you mention this when we were on the Normandy?"

"I never seemed to find the time before the ship went down. After Liara left us I remembered her suggestion. I was looking for ways to reconnect with what I had lost."

She watched him for a moment, trying to discern what exactly he was getting at, if indeed he had a point at all. "Sometimes you really do surprise me Garrus, you know that?"

"In what ways?"

"Well do you ever regret leaving C-Sec or the turian military?"

"Not for a minute. When it comes down to it Shepard I don't think I'm a very good turian. When a good turian hears a bad order he follows it. He might complain but he knows his place. I just don't see the point in staying quiet and polite, not when the galaxy is at stake."

"And yet you think fondly of your time with us. Enough to come back again. Like I said, you're a surprise. I'm just glad the Normandy was able to give you something of a home."

"Home. Interesting word. It carries so many connotations in my language."

"And in mine."

"And do you see this Normandy as home?"

She looked around, taking in the space which had become so familiar. She remembered suddenly her first feelings when she stepped into the CiC, wondering if it would ever feel like her command. As she imagined Miranda in the next room over, most likely on longer spying on them, and Jack down in the cargo hold, so much like Wrex with her brusque manner hiding deeper feelings than anyone would guess at, she couldn't imagine anyplace she would rather be.

"Maybe not a home quite yet. But I am starting to think I might be in the right place."

"I think you already know what I'm going to say to that."

"Of course. You think I've been in the right place right from the start."

"It's good that you know me so well."

She grinned and had another few mouthfuls of food, knowing there was only one more question she wanted to ask him, but not sure if she really wanted the answer. Eventually she put down her fork and looking him right in the eye. "Honestly Garrus, what do you think our chances are?"

He put down his knife and considered the question, leaning back a little in his chair and scratching his chin. "Honestly? The Collectors killed you once and all it did was piss you off. Can't imagine they'll stop you this time. But. An unmapped area, advanced technology and the Collectors?" He met her eyes and she saw the apology in them. "We're going to lose people. No way around that. Not a happy analysis I know. Don't worry I won't spread it around. And I'm with you, regardless."

As she turned that over in her mind she wondered what his sadness had been for, the thought of losing people, or knowing how she would take those losses. It was an odd thought that he knew her so well. "I thought you'd be used to high risk operations on human ships," she said at last. "I mean, think about tracking Saren to Ilos."

"Sure, but that was quick. We raced out, landed, blew up some geth and saved the galaxy. This time we've got Miranda." He gestured vaguely at her room. "And Cerberus and that AI all telling us what we're up against. I think I preferred blind optimism."

"For what it's worth I don't think Miranda's going to be such an encumbrance anymore."

"Ah, so what Joker was saying about another recruit for Shepard's elite club was true?"

"Has he really been sharing that around?"

"He offered to make me a novelty item of clothing. Apparently I am the Vice President."

"And what's he?"

"President."

"So hang on. It's a club all about me and yet I'm not the President?"

"He said you'd say that. Apparently since you are the person we have formed around the club, your role is just to be yourself."

"This is ridiculous."

"He also said you'd say that."

She couldn't help but laugh at that. "Alright then, so we've got to find a role for Miranda and Tali I suppose. And maybe even Jacob, he seems to have come round to our cause very easily."

"The only other role he mentioned was for Gunnery Chief Williams."

"Oh really, I wouldn't have expected that."

"He said it was the role of 'Judas.' I'm not entirely sure what the word means."

"It's not a very pleasant term Garrus, I'd prefer if you didn't spread that around." She made a note to talk to Joker about it as well.

Understanding was plain on his face. "I suppose this has something to do with their relationship?"

"It might well do."

"Much wiser not to get involved there. Although that's never stopped you before."

"Hey now."

He chuckled, turning back to finish his meal. He was just taking his plate over to the kitchen when Miranda emerged from her room, looking slightly dishevelled. When she saw Garrus heading back to the guns she held up her hands, an oddly placative gesture from her.

"Please don't leave on my account."

"No need to worry Ms Lawson, I needed to get back to my calibrations anyway." He nodded to both of them. "Good evening ladies."

Miranda slid into a chair and rested her head on her hands. "Sometimes he reminds me very much of an old fashioned gentleman from a vid."

"He's a lot of things."

"You get very protective of him." At Shepard's accusing glance she waved a hand. "I've noticed. From observing you, not from spying on you."

"I get very protective of my crew."

"And he's more than most of us."

"It doesn't have to be that way. It just seems he's the only one sometimes."

Sitting there eating while Miranda watched her was more than a little disconcerting. "Were you planning on eating?" She asked.

"Actually I wanted to apologise. I didn't fully believe you'd be up to the task. And it seems I was wrong. Frankly based on what I've seen I wish Cerberus had recruited you earlier."

There was a heavy silence as Shepard stared at her. She looked away and blushed a little. "That was a joke."

"You know I don't trust Cerberus. Their experiments cross the line."

"All the time, yes. But I recall a SPECTRE who crossed a few lines while hunting down Saren and the geth. And we'd have been lucky to have you, too many join out of simple xenophobia, we need more people there for the right reasons."

"And what was Cerberus trying to prove by experimenting on children like Jack?" It was hard to keep the anger out of her tone, and Miranda couldn't meet her eyes.

"A mistake, no question. Not mine. And one that was corrected once we discovered the extent of the experiments being performed."

"You still sound so certain that it was just a rogue group. Where does this loyalty come from?"

She drew a datapad from her belt. "I did some research into the Pragia facility. I have a high enough security clearance to see nearly the entire file. I suppose I just needed to know that the Illusive Man didn't actually sanction the extreme lengths they went to."

Shepard didn't take the datapad, although Miranda clearly wanted her to. "It's admirable you decided to actually look into what they did. But I'm not the one you need to be apologising to for that."

"I wasn't part of that operation Shepard. And I would never have let it go that far, and neither did Cerberus, I have the proof."

"You think that matters to Jack? Cerberus took her childhood. You're Cerberus. You have to take some responsibility for the organisation you're a part of. You can't claim to be involved in a terrorist organisation just for the public relations and say that you have no part in their attacks. Even by joining them you show tacit agreement of their methods."

"And joining an organisation like the SPECTREs, who allowed Saren such unlimited freedom he practically lead to an early return of the Reapers?"

"Joining an organisation like the SPECTREs, whose first mission for me was to track down and bring to justice the rogue SPECTRE Saren. Who was tasked with clearing up the rogue Cerberus operations? I seem to remember taking several of them down myself by I never saw a hint of a Cerberus oversight committee."

"I suppose that's fair. Cerberus tends to go so far as funding projects, and cutting that funding when things go too far. But I can understand why you wouldn't think that constitutes taking responsibility."

Her mood was making Shepard curious. Similarly to Garrus she seemed to be very contemplative. "With your intelligence you could have landed any job you wanted.," she asked. "Why did you choose this?"

She smiled ruefully. "Because I still envy the time Mordin spent with the Special Tasks Group. Working with people as smart as he was. Cerberus never tells me that something is impossible. They give me my resources and say do it. And they've given you even more. A new life, a new ship, the Illusive Man's personal attention."

"The best thing he did was to put you on my squad."

Miranda gave her a sideways glance.

"No, seriously this time. You've been invaluable to this mission, and I have a feeling that's going to continue over the next few weeks."

"You'd have done fine without me. I may not have believed it before but I don't have what you do. That fire that makes someone willing to follow you into hell itself. My father got me the best genes money could buy, guess it wasn't enough."

And finally the pieces started to fit together. What Miranda had buried was much less complicated, but much more powerful in many ways. "You always bring up your genetic tailoring, it really bothers you doesn't it?"

"This is what I am Shepard, I can't hide it. The intelligence, the looks, even the biotics. He paid for all of that. Every one of your accomplishments is due to your skill. The only things I can take credit for are my mistakes."

"You're not coasting on good genes Miranda. Your ability and your dedication speak for themselves, and as for your looks…" She trailed off, not quite sure if she was ready to share that part."

"Shepard?"

"You're stunning Miranda, and I say that as someone who's not interested. And it's not your beauty, it's the way you hold yourself. You were dealt the hand of having your entire life pre-crafted by your father, but you own it, and you've made it your own. You could have been his puppet. You could have been a mindless servant of TIM. But instead you broke free, and saved your sister. And even now you're questioning whether Cerberus is all you think it is. That makes you so much more than your birth."

"I wish you'd stop calling him that."

"You're not getting off that easily. You are an amazing person in every way because of what you do, not who you are."

She looked supremely uncomfortable at the compliment, but she did manage a smile. "Thank you Commander."

"Right." Shepard collected her own plate. "It's late and I'm tired, so if you don't mind I'm heading for bed."

"To lie sleeplessly all night again?"

Shepard turned and frowned at her, but before she could speak Miranda went on.

"I don't need to have surveillance on you to know your insomnia's back. I'd rather not set Chakwas on you, mostly because she hates me, so would you at least accept this as friendly advice?"

"That's the strangest thing you've ever said to me. Friends."

"Ouch Shepard. Good to know where we stand."

"I'm sorry." She dumped her plate into the auto-cleaner and rubbed her eyes. "Really. I'm sorry, that was completely uncalled for. I'll make sure to get some real sleep tonight."

"Thank you Shepard."

**AN:-**This was supposed to be Kasumi's loyalty mission, but sometimes I get on a story tangent and just keep going. once the conversation with Garrus hit the 2000 word mark I just decided to keep going until the chapter was finished and do Kasumi next.

The stuff with both Garrus and Miranda is about 50% from the game's post loyalty mission conversations, and 50% my own additions and inventions to keep the characterisation more in-line with my portrayals. Like with Jack's conversations getting oddly cut off if you're a fem-shep and not romancing her, the same happens with Garrus, so I had to keep it going somehow.

One of the running themes of ME's dialogue seems to be painting Shepard as some sort of saviour of humanity. Even if it is a true statement I still find the dialogue quite uncomfortable sometimes, and I think Shepard, at least my Shep, would as well. So whenever the conversation turns too serious she usually starts looking for a way out, usually with a joke.

A little bit of lifted dialogue from Firefly and the Princess Bride. I've talked in the past about Shepard's love of old sci-fi and other aliens experiencing Earth Culture. If you go my page on Archive of Our Own (link on my profile) you can find some more of this in my fic 'Counting the Ways' (warning, CtW is a collection of erotic fics set in the ME universe that are too smutty for fanfic) Man i really am self-promoting a lot today aren't I?

It's been quite subtextual, so naturally now I'm going to ruin it by explicitly stating it, but all this time that Shepard's been causing such huge changes in her teammates she's actually, unknown even to her, been starting to see the new Normandy as just as much a home as the first one. Maybe she's not quite there yet, but she's getting closer.

Some of Miranda's conversation is very heavily edited. And once more I'm going to ruin some subtextual stuff, mostly because I have no confidence in my abilities to actually include subtext. A lot of the dialogue where Miranda refers to Cerberus as 'we' has been changed to 'they' or 'the organisation.' The reasons for this should be pretty obvious. Also, her comment about Shepard joining Cerberus earlier is now a joke, but I'm quite enjoying writing Miranda as having no sense of humour.

Like I say, for the rest of it it's probably easier if you just go and read 'Broken Mirror.' It's like a how-to guide on my way of writing Miranda.


	41. Chapter 40: Preparations

**AN:- **I swear to god I am eventually going to write the actual Stealing Memories chapter.

**Chapter Forty: Preparation**

Bekenstein loomed before them, dark blue oceans with the patches of green mainly covered in cloud.

"Why are we here again Commander?" Joker asked as he started to ping the traffic satellite. "You're not usually one for the hoity toity crowd."

"Honestly Joker I'm as much in the dark as you are. We have a mission here for Kasumi, I'll find out more on the way."

"Well that seems like a complete lack of information to go on."

"So far all I know is that I have to dress to impress. Something cocktail dressy."

"Do you even have something cocktail dressy? I saw that evening gown you wore on Ilium, very nice by the way."

"Unfortunately that dress was deemed not 'in character' enough for a character I had no idea I was playing. Kasumi says she has something for me." Shepard checked the clock in the corner of the computer. "Speaking of which I should probably go and change. We're going to be leaving soon."

"Will I at least get to see this outfit?"

"Keep dreaming Joker."

"Oh I will Commander."

As she rode the elevator down to Kasumi's floor she felt the subtle shift in gravity that meant they had entered into a near-planet orbit, the planet's gravity now subtly affecting the Normandy's own. Stepping off the elevator she ran into Jacob, who was heading to the mess.

"Any reason we're stopping here Commander?"

"Personal mission. Shouldn't take more than a few hours."

"I suppose at some point we are going to go looking for that IFF aren't we?"

"I'd rather not go plunging into a Reaper base unprepared Jacob."

"Well when we do go in I've got some new toys that might help."

She grinned. "When I get back you'll have to show me."

"No problem Commander."

She went quickly to Kasumi's room, finding the thief sorting through a selection of clothing in a large metal crate.

"All of that disguises?" Shepard asked as she entered.

"Most of them yes. I have various sizes and styles to suit your every subterfugial need."

"And what am I going to be wearing today then?"

Kasumi spun round with a flourish, holding up something shiny and black that barely went past the thief's waist.

"No."

"Shepard, it is vital for our mission that you act the part. You are going to be playing Alison Gunn, leader of a small but talented band of mercenaries from the Terminus Systems."

"And she routinely wears swim suits in the field?"

"No, but when she's off duty she does."

"And how would Hock even know that?"

Kasumi grinned, walking back to her couch and lounging on it, spreading the dress over herself. On her slight form it would have been almost shapeless. Shepard had a feeling on her it would be a little bit more figure-hugging.

"I took the liberty of giving you a reputation papers, witnesses, article in Badass Weekly. They all report that when Ms Gunn isn't blowing the heads off very bad men she is to be found carousing on Omega while wearing nothing but a slip."

Shepard fought to keep her arms at her sides instead of crossing them self-consciously like she wanted to. "What the hell Kasumi, you can't just do stuff like that without my permission."

"I have a reason for it Shepard, and it's quite an important one. Hock has made it known he's a man who knows what he wants and goes after it. You show up in a business suit, your hair up in that ponytail and looking every inch a military woman he won't give you the time of day. You show up with a plunging neckline, your hair down and the right makeup, and he'll fall over himself trying to have you."

"Your plan involves me getting drooled on by a crime boss?"

"It might, and I'd like to keep the option open." Kasumi sat up properly, taking the dress and laying it on the sofa next to her. "What's really on your mind Shepard?"

"I…" her hand twitched upwards of its own accord, towards the collar of the jacket which now covered her entire neck. The sleeves, thick heavy material, stretched right down to her wrists.

"Ah, I see." Kasumi smiled. "I have a suggestion that might help with that."

She didn't like the look on the thief's face, but she also didn't like the dress. Eventually she nodded, and Kasumi raised her omni tool, keying a command in.

"That was it? That was your suggestion?"

"Just give it a few minutes."

"Alright, fill me in on the rest while we're waiting."

"Simple enough. Hock's a weapons dealer and smuggler. He killed my partner and stole his grey box. Other than that not so bad. Rich, charismatic, willing to crack open a man's skull to get at the neural implants inside."

That was definitely personal. Shepard didn't ask though, letting Kasumi breathe and move on.

"Our friend Hock is throwing a party for his closest friends. A couple dozen of the worst liars, cheaters and mass murderers you'll ever want to meet. All bringing gifts as a tribute to the man himself. Our tribute is a lovely statue of your old friend Saren. Rendered with loving detail and filled to the brim with our weapons and armour."

"We're going in with nothing?"

"You can keep your pistol, as long as it's concealed, they won't hassle you over a sidearm. Once inside we'll make our way to Hock's vault door somewhere in the back of the ballroom, then we case the security and start peeling away the layers. The statue should be there waiting for you to crack it open and arm up. Then we just waltz into the vault and take Keiji's greybox, and I'll finally get a chance to say goodbye."

"You don't know what the security is?"

"Hock is a careful man, and with good reason. He has made it known that his vault is unbreakable, but he has given no details as to why that is."

"And what if the vault really in unbreakable?"

"Please Shepard, remember who you're talking to here."

"But of course." She rubbed her chin. "You've worked really hard on this. Keiji must have meant a lot to you."

She looked away. "Was I that obvious? Keiji's greybox holds a lot of priceless, personal memories. It's all that remains of who he was." She looked back and Shepard saw tears in the corners of her eyes. "But the secret he discovered is dangerous. I wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't."

"If nothing else, this ought to be interesting."

"That's what I'm going for."

Behind her the door cycled open and Shepard turned to see Tali standing there, her body language confused. "What's the tech emergency Kasumi?" She noticed Shepard. "Commander."

Shepard turned back to Kasumi. "This was your suggestion?"

"I'm having a little problem uploading a file onto a system," Kasumi said to Tali, ignoring Shepard entirely. "I was hoping you could help. Your intimate knowledge of the system in question should come in handy."

"Uh, what?"

"I want to upload the file LBD." Kasumi held up the dress. "Onto the system Shepard dot Commander. Any ideas?"

"That I should be going, right now."

"Stay, Tali." Shepard sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose, wondering whether the stress headache was just going to be a constant fixture of her life now. "Maybe you can talk me into this nonsense."

"I don't know how I'd exactly help with that."

"Well we might start by asking why the Commander is quite so resilient to the idea in the first place. You've worn dresses before so it's clearly not that. Why is this one special?"

Shepard rubbed her forearm reflexively, suddenly remembering her therapy sessions with Chakwas on the old Normandy. She had noticed the tic then as well.

"I think I know the problem." Tali walked over and took her hand, gently turning it over. "May I?"

She shrugged and Tali rolled up her to sleeve to reveal the long thin scar that ran right from her wrist down to her elbow. A faint orange glow pulsed from underneath it. Shepard knew enough about her injuries to know that it was where her arm bones had been effectively powdered, the tendons and ligaments burned to nothing.

"You have other scars Shepard," Kasumi said. "Why do these ones bother you so much?"

"They don't."

Tali wasn't letting her roll her sleeve back down. "You didn't used to wear clothes that covered your entire body before."

"I wasn't a cyborg before."

"Is that it?" Kasumi stood and walked over. "Your other scars are from battle, but these are the marks Cerberus left on you?"

"If I wanted therapy I'd talk to Chakwas."

"This isn't therapy; this is getting you into a slinky black dress. And now I think you have to wear it even more."

"Why?"

Kasumi touched her own shoulder. "Just trust me."

"What do you think Tali?"

"I think I would love to even have the chance to wear a dress. The least you can do is let me be part of this."

"Oh great, a guilt trip from a quarian."

"It's what we do."

Kasumi handed her the dress. "Just us girls here Shepard. Now let's see it."

They turned around as she stripped out of her jacket and uniform trousers, adding her shirt to the pile of clothes on the couch. Underneath her body looked even worse than she remembered it, the ugly scars criss-crossing her skin right down to her toes.

Her left arm wasn't quite as bad as her right, but high on her shoulder half a dozen lines marked where they had screwed her bones back together. Her right forearm was almost entirely new, her left knee a prosthetic replacement. Chakwas had provided her with a full writeup of her injuries, but even that didn't quite grasp the full horror of what had been done to her.

Across her chest and torso was the outline of a Y-incision, as though she had been autopsied. She suspected, though nothing in Chakwas' report had mentioned it, that her chest had been cracked open to get at the organs beneath. Enough of them had been replaced that it had probably been easier for Miranda to just order her split open. She snatched the dress and slipped into it, covering the worst. Unfortunately it left her arms bare, as well as the majority of her legs.

She rubbed her forearm, stopping immediately when her fingers brushed over the upraised bulge of an implant. "Can we look yet?" Kasumi drawled.

Shepard turned round to face the two, who were both staring at the door. "Go for it."

She braced herself as they turned, but neither of them spoke. Tali raised a hand to her mask and slowly cocked her head. It felt very much like she was under a microscope, and she felt her shoulders hunching. "I told you, it's bad."

"You are beautiful Shepard."

"She's right. You look great; you should wear this stuff more often." Kasumi was going back to her box of costumes and rummaging again. "But we should really find the right shoes to complete the look."

Tali had come to stand next to her, and Shepard couldn't help but shift a little closer to the quarian. "It really looks alright?"

"It looks incredible. I wish I could wear something like that."

"Nothing stopping you," Kasumi said with her head still buried in the box. "Give me one moment to find… ah!" She emerged with a pair of black heels. "These ought to do the trick."

"I am not wearing those."

"It'll really complete the look."

"Only if you think the look would be completed by me face-planting into the floor and breaking my nose."

"You can't wear heels?"

"I can wear heels. I can't wear six inch monstrosities that will definitely make me fall over."

"All right, let me find something a little more forgiving. Oh, and Tali," she threw over a long piece of brightly coloured cloth. "Try that on for size."

Tali snatched the cloth and stared at it. "Uhm, how?"

"Didn't either of you have girlfriends when you were younger to show you this stuff?"

"Quarian children are more concerned with proper suit maintenance than making them look nice."

"Fine." Kasumi threw the shoes to Shepard. "Let me show you how it's done."

/|\

It took twenty minutes of preening before Kasumi allowed them to leave her cabin. She had insisted on making sure Shepard's makeup was perfect, and even done her hair into something different than her usual severe ponytail. It was still up and off her face, but was twisted into a neat bun, held in place with two short needles.

"They won't question the needles, and in an emergency you can use them for stabbing people."

Tali had also been made up, as well as Kasumi could manage with the suit. She had tied the sash around the waist of Tali's suit so it hung lower down her left leg and had a looping bow on the right side. She had given her a new head scarf as well, to match her sash, and had shown her how she could even paint designs onto the metal of her suit, giving it highlights that brought out her figure.

"Does it look good?" Tali asked Shepard as they stepped out of the thief's room.

"You look great Tali, it really suits you."

"You too Shepard. I did not know you could look like this." She brought her hands up to her mask. "I am sorry, I didn't mean it like that."

"It's okay Tali, I know what you meant." She looked down at herself. "I guess it's been a while since I dressed up."

"You guess?"

"Well the last time I dressed up was for Liara. So for me it was only a few months ago. But I guess it's really been over two years for the rest of you."

"It must be so strange Shepard, to have to wake up and find things have moved on so much."

"It is." They stopped at the elevator and waited for it to arrive, Shepard trying to ignore one of the crewmen staring at her. "I wish I could have seen you grow up."

"I'm not that different Shepard."

"Yes you are. You've grown up so much, taking command of your own squad, all that research, dangerous assignments to help the Flotilla."

Her tone turned bitter at once. "Yes, my own squads who got massacred as a result of my orders."

"Not as a result of your orders. I saw the situations, both times. Prazza and his squad ignored your orders, and the situation on Haestrom was a bad deal, not your fault at all." She stepped close and touched Tali's forearm, remembering the first time she had done so. "Look at what you've done, how much you've achieved. You're younger than I was when I had my first command, or Garrus. What you've done is amazing, please don't think any differently."

The doors opened and Tali stepped on first. "Thank you Shepard."

"Always."

Tali followed her down to the shuttle bay, Kasumi joining them a moment later. "Everything's in place," she said as she arrived. "Ready when you are Shepard."

Shepard sighed and smoothed out the dress, resisting the urge to touch her scars again. "Let's get this over with."

**AN:-**This chapter had 3/4 iterations, some of which barely got past the first chapter, some which I nearly finished before I scrapped them and started again.

Originally I had a big all-girls party. Chambers, then Miranda, then Tali then even Jack all got in on the prettying up of Shepard. But even given Jack and Miranda coming around on her a bit it really didn't seem right to have them all involved in a 'dress-up' Shepard scene that was in danger of turning into an 80s movie montage (fun though that would have been ). Then I tried various combinations, even involving Garrus, until I found the one that worked best. Tali and Shepard like sisters with Kasumi dressing them up.

Shepard's insecurities are nothing to do with her body. I thought I should just make that clear. It's everything to do with the scars, and not because she is ashamed of her scars, but because specifically the Cerberus are a constant reminder of what was done to her and how they practically own her now (to her mind anyway.)

I don't like the usual trope of having badass female soldiers be emotionless armour-wearing wisecracking people who never show any display of femininity. There is no reason Shepard can't know how to wear heels and get dressed up and do her own makeup if she wants to, and still be a badass female soldier who can kick Reaper ass up and down dark space. Similarly with Tali and Kasumi. Of course they can.

Right, Stealing Memory next. I am not going to somehow stretch the shuttle ride into a whole chapter on its own.


	42. Chapter 41: Stealing Memory

**AN:- **I seem to remember that I thought the Kasumi chapter would be a one-shot at most. It's basically turned into 3.

**Chapter Forty-One: Stealing Memory**

Kasumi brought the shuttle in with the ease of a seasoned professional, setting it down softly on the landing pad and turning to smile at Shepard, who was still compulsively straightening her dress. The pistol was strapped to the inside of her leg, barely concealed by the dress. Even in its compact state it pressed uncomfortably in places she didn't usually like being jabbed.

Once they were safely locked down Kasumi turned to her and grinned. "After you Ms Gunn."

Shepard slipped out, feeling the mask of cold professionalism lock into place. It was her sniper's mindset, she knew that much. Back in Basic she had picked up the nickname 'Ice Queen' after a session of long-range zero-G practice at Arcturus. Apparently she had even scared the other recruits with how she had looked during the training.

She marched past the guards without even looking, trusting that the faked credentials and her imposing manner would convince them not to question her. Kasumi hurried along beside her, the perfect picture of a harried assistant. They stopped at the foot of the stairs to watch the gigantic statue of Saren being unloaded.

Shepard wasn't entirely sure how Kasumi had gotten her hands on it, or exactly when it had made its way onto the Normandy, but it was being craned off their shuttle and inspected by a security officer now. He looked over and saw them watching, holding a hand up and continuing to scan.

"Hold a moment ma'am, there seems to be an issue with the statue."

"Is there a problem here?" She looked forwards to see an older man wearing a fine white suit descending the stairs.

"No Mr Hock, just doing a scan."

He stopped at the bottom of the stairs and held out his hand. "I don't believe we've met, Donovan Hock." Shepard smiled as she shook his hand, but found Kasumi had been right. He was staring right at her chest.

"I've heard a lot about you. Name's Alison Gunn."

He looked her in the eye at last, and she even saw a little respect. "And I've heard a lot about you. You've been very busy lately. If the extranet is to be believed."

"Sir, the scanners aren't picking anything up."

Hock grumbled, still forcing a smile for her sake. "I don't think our guests would come all the way here from Ilium, just to cause trouble. Do you?" The guard snapped to attention and even saluted, but any apology he might have made was cut off as Hock turned back to her. "You may pass through Ms Gunn. You were invited after all. But I will ask your companion to remain outside. You understand I hope."

_Crap._ She kept the smile fixed in place. "No problem. You're the host."

He was still smiling, but to her it suddenly seemed much colder. "Enjoy the party."

As he turned to go back inside she gestured Kasumi off to the side. The thief waited until they were out of earshot before speaking. "Well, that didn't go as I expected."

"Any idea why he'd send you away?" The only possible reason Shepard could come up with was that he had made them. But if that was the case why not have they escorted off by a platoon of guards?

"No. we've never seen each other in person, and no one knows what I look like. Just watching his ass, I'm sure. I can't blame him."

_God I hope you're sure. _"What do we do now?"

"We go on with the plan. You'll just have to do all the talking. I'll stay out of sight and stick with you the best I can."

Shepard nodded. It seemed reasonable enough, and it wasn't like she had never done any undercover work. "Keep radio contact in case something goes wrong. We need to find the door and case the security, we'll figure out the next step then."

She nodded as if she was intending to leave Kasumi there, then turned and strode back up the steps. Out of the corner of her eye she caught the faint crackle of electricity that marked the stealth suit turning on. As she nodded to the door guards and entered the building she felt the faintest brush of air on her bare arm as Kasumi got in ahead of her.

Inside Shepard immediately knew that she didn't belong. Her preferred option for a crowd like this would have been a full complement of police officers, Garrus at her shoulder and all her gear as she arrested the lot of them. Instead she had a pistol shoved up her thighs, a thief she still didn't know well enough to trust and a dress that wouldn't even stop harsh words.

All around conversation ranged, and she had to focus to keep the noise to a minimum. Her combat instincts and new enhancements, so useful for picking out individual trouble spots or people in danger while in battle, were useless when confronted with a roomful of loudly jabbering criminals.

Over to her left she heard someone discussing underbidding a medical contractor for military supplies, then jacking their own prices up only after the contract had been signed in their favour. Ahead Hock was schmoozing, recounting a loud story about how he had scammed some guns through Earth security to supply them to both the gangs and the police dealing with the gangs. To her right and above she heard someone discussing a vault.

She could only pick out a few words, but downstairs was one of them and there was only one set of downward leading stairs she could see. Moving quickly she crossed the floor, careful to keep her icy professional mask in place, and after a brief glance to make sure no one was watching her she slipped down the stairs.

"You do this well Shepard." Kasumi sparked back to visibility just ahead of her. "Presence of character, but not causing a scene."

"Thank me later. What's the security situation?"

"Give me a minute." Kasumi stepped through an entryway and paused. "Very nice, there's more here than I expected." She went fully into the little room, Shepard following to see the orange glow of a barrier screen, along with one of the most impressive security systems she had ever seen outside a military base. The door looked like it would withstand a nuclear blast, and it was the least technological thing she could see.

"Password protected voice lock. Kinetic barrier. DNA scanner Looks like an EX-700 series. Everything a vault needs to be impenetrable."

"This gonna be a problem?"

"Please, remember who you're talking to. We'll need to get a voice sample, for the voice lock, you'll have to go chat up Hock for that. We'll have to find the password too. DNA? Child's play. We should find plenty of DNA samples in Hock's private quarters. And the barrier? Cut the power, never fails. If we can find it." Her voice went low. "Keiji could get through a system like this in his sleep, and I'm better." She was right back to her usual cheerful self in an instant. "Let's get to it."

She disappeared again, and Shepard left the vault room quickly, leaning against a wall outside and listening for any hint that someone was coming to tell her to mind her own business. Apparently Hock was so confident in his security system that his security didn't a need to check up on people admiring it.

"The kinetic barrier should be the easiest to take care of," Kasumi said in her ear. "We just need to find the power source. I can program your omni-tool to follow energy signatures. Just play Hot or Cold with it."

"Oh yeah, that most secretive of games."

"Finally some of the Shepard sarcasm I've heard so much about."

"Let me think for a second." She opened her omni tool and listening to the beeping coming from it. It was steady but each beep was spaced quite far apart. She walked to one end of the narrow corridor and it got slower, then as she walked back it sped up again. "Simple enough." She hooked the omni-tool directly into her earpiece. "You might not be able to talk to me for a while though."

She didn't wait for a response to that, heading straight up to the party. The beeping immediately got stronger and she knew she was on the right floor. She almost smiled to the group of people closest to her, until she remembered both her cover and who these people actually were. One of the men gave her a leer and she gave him a look back that promised extreme harm to very valuable parts of his body. He crossed his legs and turned back to chatting up the incredibly attractive blonde next to him.

Moving deeper in to the party the beeping kept speeding up, and she found herself walking towards a collection of bookshelves. She pretended to be reading the titles. The books themselves were contained behind glass she had no doubt was bulletproof, heat-controlled, and everything else needed to preserve antique literature. She saw an original Shelley, and a first edition Velveteen Rabbit. She wondered if Kasumi was having as much trouble keeping her attention focused on the mission.

Following the bookshelves round she saw a fireplace set into the bookcases near the very edge of the room, thankfully shielded from the rest of the party by the layout of the shelving. The fireplace was clearly a fake, though a top end one, with holographic fire and even a heating coil.

Kasumi appeared, deep in the shadows in the corner. "Vain, but a good hiding place for a layman."

Shepard kept reading the titles while Kasumi worked, when her eyes caught on a title she hadn't seen since she was a title. A first edition hardcover edition of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. She started at it in disbelief. Original British run of printing, with the red and purple spine, the same picture of a dog at the top she remembered from her mother's copy.

"That should take care of the barrier." Kasumi's voice was right next to her again, and she jumped a little. "See something you like?"

"Oh, no. Just a memory."

"Very well. We still need the voice sample and password, and the DNA sample."

"I saw a security room on the way in. Hopefully we can find the password there, and maybe a way to get into Hock's personal rooms."

"Good thinking. Lead the way boss."

Retracing her steps she had to duck out of sight as Hock went by. Everything about him gave her the creeps, and she didn't want to talk to him until it was absolutely necessary.

The security room was just as unguarded as everything else in his place seemed to be, and Shepard reckoned even she could have hacked it without anyone noticing. Instead she waited as Kasumi did it, trying to slip into another new character for what came next. As the door cycled open she found just the right level of stagger as she stumbled down the corridor.

The security room was just around the bend, two guards inside manning the desks. One of them seemed to be watching security cameras, but he didn't look up as she came in. The other was reading something off a datapad, and she was almost in the office before either of them glanced up to see her.

"Halt, this area is off limits."

She slurred every word until it was almost unintelligible. "I think I got lost. Where's the pisser round here?" She stumbled into the room, heading for the guard with the datapad, who was looking every uncertain. "Can you help me?" She tripped and he caught her, using both arms to keep her upright. She almost shook her head at the stupidity. "Thanks," she said, all trace of slurring gone.

They had been so focused on her supposed drunkenness neither of them had even noticed that she had drawn the pistol from under her dress. She unfolded it now and jammed it against the guard's head. His friend went for the panic button only to find Kasumi already there, holding a knife against his throat. "The door is soundproofed. You can scream yourselves hoarse and no one will know."

Shepard extricated herself from the guard's arms and stepped round him towards the desk. "Are we going to have a problem or are you going to play nice?"

The guards exchanged a look, then both got down on their knees. "Good choice."

Kasumi pulled ties from her belt and secured the first guard's hands, then moved to do the second while Shepard started searching the desk. It turned out that there was a security camera on the vault, but the guard had been watching a cartoon show on his monitor instead.

"You're a pretty bad actress Shepard."

"Fooled these guys didn't I?"

"Please, my dress did all the work. Got anything yet?"

"Still looking. They secure?"

"See for yourself."

She glanced over to see the men not only bound but tied together, hands to ankles, and with gags shoved into their mouths.

"You just carry around ball gags?"

"You never know what situation you might run into with a society crowd like this."

Wondering whether she really wanted to know if Kasumi was joking or not Shepard went to pick up the datapad the guard had dropped, turning it over to show a short but blunt message apparently from their commander.

"The password is Peruggia."

"Hm. That's the name of the man who stole the Mona Lisa. Nice." Kasumi stepped back from the monitors. "I tapped into their communications; maybe it'll come in handy. We still need that voice sample from Hock."

"Just what I wanted. Time to get drooled on by a sociopathic criminal."

Back in the party Hock was centre stage again, holding court on something for a smattering of guests. They all seemed terribly engaged and delighted by what he was saying. But then again he was quite possibly the richest man in the room. And could have them all killed if they didn't laugh.

"There he is." Wherever Kasumi was it was far enough that she was using the radio again. "All you need to do is keep him talking long enough for me to get a voiceprint. Pull out the charm on this one Shep. Whenever you're ready."

She wasted no time, going over and catching the end of the anecdote.

"So I said to the dealer listen buddy. I don't have to spend any more money on them, you will take whatever conditions I give them and pay the late fees yourself. Goddamn volus think they know business am I right?"

She joined in the laughter, conjuring an image of him being eaten by a Reaper to get her enjoyment right. "Nice to see someone still appreciates the value of good old fashioned human ingenuity," she said as the other guests parted to let her by.

"I have always said that the proof is in what we've done. We've come further than any other species in less time, even with those alien lovers like Commander Shepard holding us back."

"I completely agree.

"So I see that scene at the door hasn't soured your evening."

She waved the comment aside. "Believe me I understand the importance of security. But I still have to wonder who would even dare try to break into Donovan Hock's home?"

"Gunn, in our line of work we attract a certain element." His accent was beginning to annoy her with how all over the place it was. "Few understand the pains we take to keep the barbarians at bay. People these days want comfort, entertainment, love. They don't see that the galaxy is fragile." He was working himself into a full speech now. She stepped back to let him ramble, hoping Kasumi was nearby. "They only have to worry about simple luxuries, why? Because people like me, and you, are doing the terrible things that keep the galaxy spinning." He raised his glasses, and she realised almost all the guests were now crowded around them. "This party is for us. The cleaners, the support structure for the galaxies gleeful delusions of peace. May there always be a market for the things we do!"

Applause washed over her, loud enough that she barely heard Kasumi in her earpiece.

"I said get him talking and you got him talking. We've got enough of a voice sample, let him go."

As it turned out that instruction wasn't necessary, because as he nodded to the rest of his guests he was clearly already done with her. "Enjoy the party Ms Gunn."

She only nodded in response, already heading for his room.

"I've been reading that note you found. Looks like their chief is a real hardass. Tell the guard you have Chief Roe's authorisation, I'll handle the rest."

The guard on the door held his hand up, giving her the same bored drone of security guards the galaxy over. "Guests are not allowed into Mr Hock's private quarters without authorisation."

She crossed her arms and fixed him with her best glare. "I have authorisation from Chief Roe."

"Okay, one second." He put a hand to his earpiece. "Chief Roe, Samuels. Have you given access authorisation to Mr Hock's private rooms?"

"They have access Samuels, now stop bothering me." Shepard hid a smirk as she recognised Kasumi, practically screaming at him. Hopefully she wasn't anywhere someone would notice the noise.

Samuels winced as he closed the link, looking like he expected a thorough dressing down later. "Got it." He pasted a smile on his face. "Sorry to bother you ma'am. You're cleared to go in. Enjoy the party."

"Oh I intend to." She went past and into Hock's room, standing in place as the door cycled closed. There was a soft thump to her left and she looked to see Kasumi coming into view, having apparently vaulted over the balcony.

"Let's get that DNA sample."

Shepard went straight to the bathroom, activating her omni tool.

"Woman on a mission," Kasumi quipped behind her. "Know something I don't?"

Shepard crouched down next to the waste bin. "Hock had a small nick on his neck. I'm willing to bet he's one of those traditionalists who shaves with an actual razor instead of an omni-trimmer or something like that." She flipped the lid up and found a tissue with a small patch of blood on it. "This enough?"

"That should be perfect." Kasumi ran her omni-tool over it and scanned the sample in. "And that should be everything. Let's get to the Vault before anyone else decides to double check your story."

"No problem."

As Kasumi vanished again she marched back for the door. As she walked out Samuels gave her a questioning look. She cocked her hip and glared at him. "If you see your boss, tell him Alison Gunn doesn't wait on petty smugglers." And she marched away before he could say anything in response.

"I bet that felt good."

"You have no idea."

"Let's just hope Hock doesn't talk to him."

"Hock won't talk to the help. We should be fine."

As she descended the steps again Kasumi was already there, scanning the DNA and voice samples in. The barrier was already down, and as soon as the voice lock confirmed the vault door opened.

"I'll check for security cams." Kasumi nodded to the statue. "Go ahead and get dressed."

Shepard triggered the secret panel in the base of the statue, collecting her armour and slipping into it as quickly as she could. She switched out the Stinger for the Carnifax pistol, but still kept the Stinger on her back, just in case. She turned to the elevator just as Kasumi finished disabling the security.

"Let's go."

**AN:-**Never was that much of a fan of Kasum. I don't dislike her like with some of the ME2 squadmates, but she just never popped for me. Probably just a case of not enough dialogue. Similarly I don't like her loyalty mission that much. So it being long enough to stretch 3 chapters is probably some sort of karmic punishment for that.

The whole 'Ice-Queen' nickname thing is discussed in my more adult ME fic 'Counting the Ways,' the first chapter of which is canon to this story, but can't be posted on FF due to content regulations. Link up on my profile for those interested though.

I added the first edition Velveteen Rabbit as a nod to Friends, and the Harry Potter as a nod to me being an enormous fan and the fact that at the moment I am in the middle of a HP fanfic set during book 3, which is why book 3 is the one he has.

I like writing drunk Shepard. I do love the banter between her and Kasumi at some points as well.

The bit with the volus was partly inspired by a similar scene in Firefly during the episode 'Heart of Gold.' I wanted to include it because hunting round his room for skin samples is boring and a bit weird, whereas establishing he's a traditionalist makes a bloody piece of tissue from shaving a possibility.

Nothing much else for this one. Next one later today I hope.


	43. Chapter 42: The Vault

**AN:- **Can I like, move on to do something else now? Something that isn't Kasumi's chapter?

**Chapter Forty-Two: The Vault**

Hock's private vault was enormous. At least the length of a football pitch and nearly as wide. It was lined with statues and relics from all over the galaxy and all over history. At the furthest end of the room she could even see what looked like the head of Lady Liberty, illuminated in soft spotlight.

"You maniac," Kasumi said into the dead silence.

That broke the eerie quiet of the vault very effectively. "Right. How do we find this grey box?"

Kasumi handed her a small metal box. "Same principle as the power-supply finder. This scanner will hone in on the grey box, it's not far."

They each took one side of the room, Shepard's box starting to beep quickly after only a few steps. She passed a gigantic statue of a man missing his right arm and left leg. It looked oddly familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. The marble looked battered and old, but still beautiful.

The grey box was sitting out in the open, on a pedestal along with two submachine guns. Her implants twitched and told her they were Locust brand.

"Oh my god." Kasumi was behind her. "There it is."

She crouched down next to the pedestal and started to work her way through the security screen. "I'll need to crack the glass open to…"

"Don't bother Ms Goto." Shepard whirled, pistol in hand, and focused it on the gigantic holographic head of Hock that had appeared at the far end. "It's codelocked. I had a feeling that was you at the door. I knew if it was really you, you'd get through anyway."

"You know me. I don't like to disappoint." She was trying for bravado, but Shepard could the barely contained fury in her voice. She moved to the security panel and tried to finish deactivating it.

"I need what's in your grey box Kasumi. You know I'm willing to kill you for it. I'll admit your skills are impressive, you got into my vault like I'd left it open. But you're still going to die, screaming, just like your old friend."

"Let's see you try." She reached past Shepard and flicked a switch, the glass case immediately retracting and an alarm sounding. "This is where your special skills come into play Shepard. Let's do this."

Shepard grabbed the two submachine guns from off the top of the display and twisted just as the doors opened and guards poured in. Both guns had been left loaded, and she raked a line of bullet holes through a dozen men before they clicked empty.

"What the hell are these things?" She asked as she tossed one to Kasumi and reloaded her own.

"The gun that killed two presidents."

"That's this gun?" She leaned it on the pedestal she was hiding behind and opened up, pumping an entire clip into a woman with a shield around herself and an orange headset. When she dropped the others had no one to look to for orders and all dived for cover.

"Yours is the real deal, this is just a replica." Kasumi drew both her guns and disappeared. Five seconds later there was a roar of gunfire from behind the guards' positions and she flickered back into view, strafing their positions with two clips of ammo."

They didn't bother with the elevator, taking the door open opposite from Lady Liberty's head.

"We're gonna need a new escape route," Shepard said, reloading the gun again. She drew her Carnifax with her other hand and held it by her side as they moved into a much narrower and lower area stacked with boxes and crates, doubtless containing other priceless artefacts.

"Checking blueprints. There's a landing pad to the east."

Shepard toggled her comm link. "Joker, bring the shuttle in, now."

"Aye aye Commander."

Gunfire destroyed part of the wall behind them and Shepard dived for cover, recognising the distinctive whir of a YMIR mech's railgun.

"We get that thing to blow in here…"

She didn't have to finish. Kasumi nodded and vaulted up onto the top of the crates she was behind, vanishing a moment later. Shepard gave her some covering fire, the dozen mercs that were also advancing falling back into cover as her bullets sparked off their shields. Behind them the mech was in scanning mode, focusing on her in seconds. She cursed and dropped into cover again as bullets cracked against the wall all around her.

The gunfire stuttered, then paused, then finally stopped. She risked a quick look to see the mech sparking and twitching, slowly sinking to the floor with its arms flailing. The guards didn't seem to have noticed, but they spotted when Kasumi suddenly materialised in front of them, sprinting towards Shepard. Aware of the mech starting to smoke Shepard leaned out again and gave her covering fire as she dived behind a stack of heavy looking boxes.

The YMIR went up with its usual nuclear blast, powerful enough that it vaporised the guards closest to it. The rest were simply pulped inside their armour, their shields overloaded and any exposed flesh cooked in an instant. Shepard stayed in cover as the shockwave washed over her, threatening to push her to the floor.

When it was over she stood and made sure that Kasumi was still alive, extracted herself from where the boxes had been knocked over onto her. Her shields sparked a little but still recharged, and she signalled Shepard she was okay as they moved down to where a set of heavy doors were slamming shut.

Hock's voice came over the speakers. "They're out of the vault, seal them in."

"Dammit, we have to find another way."

Shepard looked over the room and saw something that made her grin. "Fuel tanks." She pointed them out. "We can blast our way through the wall."

"Those are heavy duty industrial containers; our weapons won't make a dent in them."

Shepard wasn't heading for the tanks though, going instead to a shape half covered by a sheet of protective material.

"I used to have one of these you know," she commented as she pulled the sheet away.

"A mako? Did you have a crippling desire to drive off cliffs and into rivers?"

"Why does everyone say that? They were fine to drive if you knew what you were doing."

She didn't have the code to get into the tank, but most people weren't aware that the main gun could be accessed from outside the tank, as long as you had some technical know-how. Garrus had shown her the method on the old Normandy's tank, nearly blowing a hole in the cargo hold when he did so. Now she thanked him for the near death experience as she popped the cover and dug into the electronics for a few seconds before the cannon roared.

The slug hit the fuel tanks dead centre, detonating them and sending a fireball racing along the ceiling. The explosion had also knocked a hole clean through the wall behind them, revealing a long tunnel pointing them due east.

"You have a peculiar talent for that Shepard."

"Years of practice."

They hurried along the tunnel, hearing Hock over the speakers again, considerably less composed than before. "What the hell are you people doing down there? Don't fight me Kasumi. You know what happened to your boy toy when he fought back."

"You don't talk about Keji like that." She yelled it at the air, but Shepard had no doubt Hock was listening in on them. A flatbed truck loaded with guards skidded towards them and she hurled an incendiary charge at it. The charge ignited the entire back of the truck. She put two bullets through the windscreen and the truck lurched into a wall as the driver died.

"Come on," Kasumi growled.

They burst into the next room to see Hock at the end, surrounded by half a dozen mercs. "Keep them busy," he said, heading out through the back door. "I'll take care of this myself."

Shepard didn't even bother to get to cover, raising her sniper rifle and dropping the first man with a widow round clean through the torso. She dropped the rifle and drew her pistol as they dashed for cover. Five bullets roared and five men hit the ground wounded or dead. Kasumi stepped forwards and unloaded her submachine gun at the bodies.

"Come on."

The door led them outside the landing pad; where there were even more crates and boxes piled everywhere.

"Do you think he did this deliberately just to give us the maximum amount of cover for the inevitable firefight?" Shepard asked as they ducked down behind some of the crates to reload.

Before Kasumi could answer there was a roar and a gunship shot overhead, a blue shield crackling all around it. Heavy machine gun fire smacked into their position, but none of it got through the heavy duty crates. Shepard stood and fired the Widow, the shield dropping instantly. Before she could cycle the action the shield recharged and he swooped by again, blasting holes in the landing pad.

"I need to get close to disable the shields," Kasumi said.

"You could have done this the easy way Goto. Allow me to show you the hard way."

Shepard ignored him. "What do you need?"

"A distraction."

"I can do that."

She shouldered the rifle and drew her submachine guns again, exploding out of cover and sprinting across to the upraised platform, spinning and firing at the gunship as it circled to get a better angle on her. It flew close by some scaffolding and Shepard saw Kasumi race from cover, throwing herself on to the scaffolding and scaling it with the ease of a gymnast, flipping and spinning until she was level with the gunship, only a few feet away. A single leap brought her crashing down on top of it, right next to a control panel.

As Hock opened fire Shepard was forced to find cover again, but when she next looked the shield was gone and Kasumi was performing an impossibly graceful backflip off the gunship to land neatly behind cover. Shepard didn't give Hock time to find her again though, standing and unleashing another round from the Widow that went straight through the cockpit screen.

The gunship peeled away before she could see the results of her handiwork, but she assumed it wasn't pretty, because a moment later the gunship slammed down into the ground and exploded.

Kasumi came up the ramp behind her. "Well that went well."

"I think so too."

The shuttle came in low, hovering slightly off the ground in front of them. Joker was showing off, remote-piloting the shuttle from the Normandy and still flying it better than most of the crew.

"You have the box?" Shepard asked.

Kasumi held it up. "All safe."

"Let's get going then."

/|\

All through the ride home Kasumi stared at the box, not responding to any of Shepard's questions. When they were back on board she headed straight for the elevator without a word, leaving Shepard to lock the shuttle down properly. As she got off the shuttle she found Garrus, Jack and Tali waiting for her.

"Hi... guys. What are you all doing here?"

Garrus shrugged. "Well I heard about the dress from Tali."

"And Jack?"

"I heard about it from Garrus talking about it to everyone on board."

"Really Garrus? Everyone on board?"

"Not everyone. Not all of them were awake."

"Well thank you very much for that Garrus."

"You're quite welcome."

She stood there watching them as they stared at her. "Soooo, why are you here?"

"We wanted to see the dress."

"Garrus wanted to see the dress," Jack said. "I wanted to see the trainwreck."

"Why would you think it was a trainwreck?"

"Y'know. You. A dress. It just doesn't seem right."

"Well then the joke's on you. I'm not wearing it again."

Jack shrugged. "If it'd make you feel more comfortable I'll show you my tits as well."

Shepard looked down at Jack's chest, then back up to her face. "I think I'm still good actually."

"Suit yourself prude." She sauntered away, casually undoing her top before taking it off and spinning it round her finger in the air. "You dunno what you're missing."

Garrus shook his head as she left the cargo bay. "She's… an odd one."

"I've never met anyone quite like her." Shepard started to pull off her armour plates, Garrus and Tali helping her with them. "But I think I'm actually starting to like her."

"Why couldn't you just pick up stray cats or something instead Shepard," Garrus asked as he examined the place where a bullet had dented her shoulder plate. "It would be much safer I think."

"I used to try and bring home non-stray cats on Mindoir, no reason I couldn't try again." She finished getting her armour off and turned to stare at him. "How do you know about cats anyway?"

"I was in C-Sec remember. People with special permits were allowed pets. I learned what human cats were my first day on the job." He grinned. "I believe your expression is 'cute.'"

"You never cease to amaze me." She dumped her armour into the bin for later cleaning and nodded to her friends. "Right, I think I should probably go and check on Kasumi. Things got kind of intense down there."

"That seems to be a recurring theme with you lately."

"I know. I'm thinking of setting up some sort of message system so the crew can air their grievances without, y'know, actually bothering me with them."

"Now there's a plan I think we can all get behind."

/|\

She arrived just as Kasumi was loading the grey box into a specialised reader. "Oh, Shepard."

"I can go if you'd rather I didn't see this."

"Don't worry. You won't be able to see the majority of the images. They are connected to my memories after all."

"Will I be able to see anything?"

"You should be able to hear any voice communication."

Shepard nodded and went to sit on the sofa as Kasumi started the machine. The visor she was wearing glowed blue and she was clearly accessing the files, her eyes jumping and focusing on images Shepard couldn't see. A voice came over the speakers.

"Kasumi, if you're seeing this, it's because I'm dead. The information we found is all here. It's big Kasumi. If the council ever got wind of this the Alliance could be implicated." His matter-of-fact tone faltered and Kasumi took a half-step forwards. "Kasumi I… I encrypted the information to keep it safe. And I uploaded the encryption key to your greybox so no one could get the whole package. But if I'm dead, and if anyone knows about this, then I've made you a target my love. I'm so so sorry."

Kasumi raised a hand to her own cheek. "Keji."

"I know you Kasumi. You'll want to keep these memories forever, but you don't need some neural implant to know I'll always be with you. Please, Kasumi, destroy these files, there's nothing more I can do to protect you."

The grey box closed and Kasumi staggered backwards, rubbing her face as she sank into the seat next to Shepard.

"I can't do this, I can't." Shepard reached out to her but she shrank away, curling her legs up beneath her. Her breath caught and hitched as she struggled to hold back tears. "This is all that's left. I can't."

"We can keep his memory can't we? Just destroy the information?"

"No." Describing the technical details seemed to give her something else to focus on. "Keiji's a master at encrypting files. He laced the information into his memories. You can't get one without experiencing the other."

She started to cry, deep heaving sobs that wracked her whole body. Somewhere in the middle she fell against Shepard, who wrapped her arms around her and held her close until she finally began to breathe easy again.

"I'm sorry Kasumi," she said into the quiet. "I heard what he said Kasumi. He wanted this information destroyed."

"I know, I just, I can't." She looked up and Shepard saw that her eyes were bloodshot and red, tears still streaming down her cheeks. "This is all that's left of him."

"I can only imagine how much he meant to you Kasumi, and I wouldn't try and claim to know what you're going through."

There was the faintest hint of a smile on the thief's face. "But?"

"But I do know about having to let go of people you love. And I know that you can't really think this is what he would have wanted. You living in danger every day. You don't need this to remember him."

Kasumi stared at the grey box for a long time, then looked back to where a rose lay on the desk. Shepard had noticed it before, but never even thought to ask. "Okay." Kasumi nodded. "Just get it over with, please."

Shepard stood and crossed to the terminal, deleting the files as quickly as she could. The last thing she could see on the screen was an afterimage of a man's face. Behind her Kasumi choked back a sob.

"If you need to talk…"

"Not now Shepard. But thank you."

**AN:-**Hooray for weak endings!

Had a bit of fun with the return of the mako. I don't think it's actually a mako in the game but this is more fun.

The bit after the mission with Jack was sort of what I was going to do in the 'dress-up Shepard' chapter if Jack had been there. I decided it made more sense to throw it in after the mission was done, rather than in the more tense and emotional build-up. I don't know if cats are or aren't allowed on the C-Sec but I just wanted to throw that line in there because the thought of a young Garrus having to chase runaway cats all over the Presidium is hilarious to me. And Shepard is joking about not actually talking to her crew. Really hope I didn't have to specify that.

It's not quite clear what Shepard can or can't see and interact with from the grey box. it seems like a hologram that covers the whole shuttle, but it also seems to only work while Kasumi's wearing the head-set. So either the hologram and headset are linked or only Kasumi can see the images. However Shepard directly references what Keiji asked Kasumi to do in the conversation afterwards so she must have been able to hear him at least. I went for a half and half solution that also meant I didn't have to try and remember or write down every single image Shepard might have seen in the memories. Also makes it a little less invasive.

I rewrote most of the very end dialogue as well. As is becoming a common theme Shepard's matter-of-factness just is not in keeping with where my characterisation is going.

On to Tuchanka I think. R&R


	44. Chapter 43: Team Building

**AN:- **Okay so, this chapter was so much fun to write.

**Chapter Forty-Three: Team-Building**

The mess hall was quiet as she sat at the table and tried to chew her way through the hardest chunk of bread in the entire galaxy. They had taken on new supplies at the Citadel, and she was now determined to finish their old supplies instead of waste them. Part of the problem of having real food instead of basic rations was that some stuff didn't get eaten.

"Good evening Shepard."

"Garrus."

"Another day saved?"

"Somehow it doesn't feel like it."

"Care to explain?"

"Not really my story to tell." She put her fork down and looked up. "Garrus what would you do if you were able to remember your old squad in perfect detail?"

"What do you mean?"

"If you could just step into a memory and relive it exactly as it happened. Would you?"

He sat, frowning a little as he considered the question. "I don't think I would. It would be too tempting to keep doing it, to pretend that they're still alive. You'd never move on."

"I suppose."

"So am I to assume that this question was prompted by your mission, or do you actually have a piece of technology on board that will let you relive old memories?"

"You may infer whatever you wish Mr Vakarian."

"Good evening Shepard, Garrus."

"Tali, good to see you."

"You're up late tonight," Shepard said as Tali went to get her nutrient paste.

Gabby and Ken came round the corner as well, Ken wiping black grease off his neck with an equally dirty rag. "We were working on the drive core and a fuel line burst," he explained. "I'm just gonna wash up." He vanished towards the men's bathrooms as Tali and Gabby brought their food to the table.

"I wasn't aware that modern fuel lines could leak like that," Garrus said.

Gabby shrugged. "You've never done maintenance with Ken. He doesn't consider the day complete until something has been covered in crud."

"And has the rest of the engine bay been covered in oil as well?"

"We cleaned it up," Tali said. "Why do you think we did not eat earlier?"

"Fair enough."

"Hey Shepard, there's like a massive puddle of crap in the engines."

"Hello Jack." Shepard turned to look at Tali and Gabby. "Massive puddle?"

"Well y'know, we cleaned most of it up. The rest should just evaporate the next time we make a jump transition."

"As long as it won't set us on fire I find I don't care."

"It will not set us on fire," Tali assured her. "Ninety percent sure."

Gabby pulled a face. "Well, maybe eighty."

"Seventy?"

"Sixty. But a strong sixty."

"We talkin' about the puddle?" Ken asked, coming round the corner looking considerably de-greased. His uniform was still mostly soaked in it, and his hands had been given what might be at best described as a 'mild wash,' and if Shepard was honest his face was still at least half covered. But she was learning it was better to leave her engineering crew to their own devices.

"Yes Kenneth, we are discussing the puddle. And I would appreciate it if major problems would be reported to me in future?"

"Ah this weren't a problem. Just a little grease, never hurt anyone."

"Ah, Shepard, hello. Others, hello."

"Evening Mordin."

"Aware there is a puddle of engine oil in the engineering section? Recognised smell as was checking new transmitter. Potential for serious fire, should be remedied."

"We are aware of the puddle Mordin. It is being taken care of."

"What puddle?"

"Can everyone just stop talking about the puddle please?" Shepard realised everyone was staring at her. "Sorry. Hi Miranda. Just a minor inconvenience as a result of some entirely routine maintenance."

"You do know I am well trained in body-language and classic indicators Shepard?"

"What's your point?"

"If you destroy this ship I don't think the Illusive Man would be pleased."

"Since when do we give a fuck what TIM thinks?"

Miranda gave her a pained look. "You taught Jack that as well?"

Tali cocked her head over in confusion. "TIM?"

Garrus leaned over to explain. "The Illusive Man, T-I-M. Joker's nickname for-"

"Mr Vakarian please don't spread that appalling nickname around any more."

"Yes, very bad of you Garrus. What would TIM think?"

"Oh for god's sake."

Shepard grinned as the crew found their seats. It almost felt like a real meal, even though Jack was right on the end with empty seats on every side. As Mordin was sitting Garrus turned to talk to her. "So where to next Shepard? Surely we've had enough team building to last a lifetime."

"We've still got Zaeed's mission to complete. It was in his contract that this needed to be resolved before he would follow us through the Omega-4 Relay. I know he's not exactly been the biggest team player, but he's an experienced fighter and we kind of need all the help we can get."

"You ask me he's a creep."

"Thanks for the opinion Jacob."

Jacob walked round the table to the kitchen, grinning at her. "No problem Shepard."

"It's not that I disagree, but frankly I don't have a lot of other options right now."

"I'm so sorry the Illusive Man didn't have time to vet each of the galaxy-saving candidates to get your personal opinion on them while you were dead on an operating table."

"Ah come on cheerleader, perk up."

"Are we talking now Jack?"

"Well I had to look at it like this, does it piss you off more to talk to me or if I give you the silent treatment?"

"How considerate of you to think about my feelings."

"Exactly, so now we're gonna be the best of friends until I can shove my fist right through your tits and pull your heart out."

"That, didn't sound like a joke…" Tali sounded horrified.

Shepard put her fork down and smiled to the quarian. "I forgot to fill you in. Jack and Miranda have promised to kill each other when the mission is over."

Silence met her pronouncement until eventually Garrus cleared his throat and leaned forwards. "I know my own experiences with team building weren't the most successful, but is that really wise?"

"I see it this way Garrus. Once the mission is complete I really don't have to care about either of them anymore, and if them wanting to live to kill each other keeps them alive through the suicide mission then that's good enough for me."

"Your team building skills have changed somewhat since last time."

"What can I say." She fixed her face into a dead-pan stare and spoke in a monotone. "I-am-a-product-of-the-best-science-Cerberus-had-available."

Garrus shivered a little. "O-kay. I know you're kidding but would you mind never doing that again. Ever?"

"What-is-wrong-Mr _Garrus Vakarian_." She tried to sound as much like an automatic telecom response system as she could. "Do-you-not-trust-me?"

"Okay seriously quit it." Jack actually sounded sincere. "You're even freaking me out."

Shepard held the deadpan expression for another moment, but when she met Miranda's eyes realised the joke might have fallen a little flatter than she expected. She smiled to break the tension. "Relax guys, I'm not really a Cerberus robot."

This time the silence was uncomfortable, but thankfully at that moment Kasumi walked round from the elevator, looking slightly happier than when Shepard had left her earlier. "I heard laughter. Thought it might be fun to join you."

"Everyone's always welcome," Shepard said. As Kasumi went to get her food she noticed the thief was holding a small bag. "What's that?" She asked.

"Actually this is for you. Sort of a thank you for everything you did for me today." Her eyes told Shepard it wasn't just the mission she was thanking her for.

"Wait, do we all have to buy you presents if you help us?" Tali asked. "I think I may owe you a few already."

"I don't know what to say," Shepard told Kasumi. "You didn't have to…" She trailed off as Kasumi opened the bag. "Oh my."

The crew was now staring at the bag. Eventually Jacob was the one to ask, "what is it?"

"Uh." Shepard took the bag and brought out the first book. Hardcover and in perfect condition. She didn't even need to check to know it would be a first edition. On the front cover, beneath the emblazoned title 'Harry Potter,' was the illustration she had grown so used to as a child, the lightning scar, the Hogwarts Express in the background.

"Books?" Jack said.

"The entire collection. You only saw the third one but he had all of them. While you were chatting him up I broke into the cabinet and stored them in my pack. It was a struggle getting the grey box in after them as well, but I think it was worth it."

Shepard stood and pulled her in close, hugging her tight.

"Woah. Guys. Shepard is hugging someone. Guys. Does everyone else see this? Am I just tripping again?"

"Shut up Jack," Shepard mumbled, drawing back and smiling at Kasumi. "Thank you. So much."

Kasumi had gone roughly the same shade of red as her hood. "It really wasn't that big a deal."

Shepard put the book back carefully and laid the bag next to her plate. "That was incredibly nice. Thank you so much."

"So, anyway." Tension broke and the others got back to eating. "Any food left?"

"You are welcome to what's there."

Shepard tried to avoid looking at or touching the bag too much as conversation started again. Eventually Jack noticed, because of course she did.

"Damn Shep, you need a little alone time with the book bag?"

She transferred it to the floor, where it could rest against her leg and no one would judge her.

"Hey, I'm just saying, maybe after this we can all sit in a big circle and Shepard can read to us like we're in fuckin' Annie."

"You've seen Annie?"

"Ah shit."

Kasumi's eyes shone with mischief even concealed by the hood. "That is the most adorable thing I have ever heard."

"No it isn't. And I haven't fuckin' seen it. I don't even know what it fuckin' is."

Tali leaned over to whisper to Shepard. "What is Annie?"

"Why Tali," Shepard said in her loudest voice. "Annie is the heartwarming story of a young orphan girl who runs away from her horrible orphanage and has many adventures." She suddenly realised exactly what she was saying and had to fight to avoid looking at Jack. "It's a really good story actually," she finished, somewhat lamely. "I used to love it."

Garrus took up the conversation before anyone else could question Jack. "It sounds like the story of Sermus Elvorian. He was a young turian, during the time of Unification, and he ran away from his parents, who support the Hierarchy, in order to fight with the colonists."

"What happens in the end?"

"Uh, he gets slaughtered in an admittedly impressively brutal fashion by members of the Hierachy's army."

"That's, somewhat less heartwarming than Annie finding a family."

"Turian culture and legends," Mordin broke in. "Emphasis on familial and governmental loyalty. Non-conformists meet sticky end, conformists seen as heroes."

Shepard raised an eyebrow at Garrus, who shrugged. "I'm hoping to be the exception to the rule."

"Well all this talk about culture and history is fascinating," Ken said. "But I have much more important news to report. I think I have found the perfect date for our poker night, and I'd just like to know who'd be interested in attending."

"Obviously yourself and Gabby I'm assuming?" Shepard waited until he had nodded. "Well count me in as well. Just go easy on me alright? It's been a while since I played."

"No problem Commander. What about the rest of you scrubs?"

"Call me when it's strip," Jack said.

"Well actually our Commander has something of a history with that particular game."

Jack's face split into the widest grin she had ever worn. "No shit? I'm in."

"I'll take that action," Garrus said.

"You know how to play?"

"Actually I was just talking to Joker, he told me to say that line and you'd all understand. I'll learn in time for the actual game though."

"I suppose I might as well then," Tali said. "From what I've heard your poker has a lot of similarities to Quarian Pazaak. It shouldn't be too hard."

"So that's six, that's pretty good."

Jacob shrugged. "I might stop by. If you've got booze."

"You're expecting me to put on a Poker Night without booze? I'm offended Taylor."

"I have never really tried drinking before."

"You'll get the hang of it Tali, don't worry."

"Are you trying to corrupt the best engineer on the ship?" Shepard asked.

"Wouldn't dream it Commander, but we've got to have booze for a proper Poker Night."

"Authorised."

"Uhm, Shepard, this is still a Cerberus ship, shouldn't I have some say in this?"

"Of course Miranda. As long as you say yes."

There was a moment of silence while Miranda stared at Shepard, her face absolutely impassive. Then she slowly nodded. "I suppose so."

"Thanks Miranda. Set it up whenever you're ready Ken."

"I will Shepard." She went to take another bite before looking up again. "Just, try to keep the ship intact? It did cost rather a lot."

"And the same for my liver I suppose."

"That should go without saying."

"Bet you wanna say it anyway," Jack drawled.

"Uh, Shepard?"

Shepard looked up as the comm system buzzed. "Joker?"

"You might wanna get down to engineering. I don't think Grunt appreciated the massive oil puddle, he's smashing up the place."

She shoved back from the table. "On my way, get everyone off the floor, just in case."

"Done."

As she ducked into the elevator she heard Jacob from the table. "Oil puddle?"

The elevator moved ridiculously slowly, giving her more than enough time to imagine all the destruction a pissed of krogan could do in under five minutes. It had been two years, couldn't elevators have been made any faster?

She burst onto the engineering section and heard him at once, the shriek of tearing metal coming from his cargo bay. Zaeed was standing by the elevator, holding an assault rifle.

"Took you goddamn long enough," he snarled as she went to the door. "I was about to go take care of the problem on my own."

"You're not taking care of anything. Get in the elevator and go. I'll handle this."

"No offence Shepard but you can't take a krogan."

A massive crash came from the cargo bay and she rounded on the mercenary. "Massani get your ass on the goddamn elevator before I throw you on."

He sneered at her and shouldered the rifle. "Yes ma'am."

Once the elevator doors had cycled shut she triggered the cargo hold doors, opening them to reveal a scene of absolute destruction.

The tank had been shattered into pieces, the glass across the floor and the metal bent out of shape, several foot long bars jammed into the walls. Grunt was in the process of reducing his desk to pieces, shattering the metal with ease. He turned at the sound of the door, facing her and growling. All she saw in his eyes was fury, and he bellowed, raising up to display his height.

She anticipated the charge, sidestepping and letting him crash into the wall behind her. Before he could recover she stamped back hard on his knee, collapsing him to the ground. Grabbing the back of his armour she slammed his head into the wall a few more times for good measure. Only when she saw blood did she stop shoving.

It was a mistake, he recovered in an instant, spinning and flailing for her. She dropped almost to the floor to get under his arms and launched a punch into his throat, feeling strength flow into her arm that nearly floored him. Her enhanced senses had apparently decided for her that she was in mortal danger. Grunt tried to howl again but was finding it difficult to draw breath. She struck again, a hard elbow to the tip of his snout.

He snorted and recoiled, but it didn't faze him much more. While the objective part of her mind finally answered that question on similarities between krogan and sharks her training was already shifting into high gear. No one had ever taught a class on humans engaging krogan in hand to hand combat, mostly because it was assumed that if things had reached that point there wasn't much sense in doing more than going limp and awaiting the inevitable.

His arm came for her in slow motion and she launched forwards, slamming the edge of her palms into his elbow and shoulder joint. In a human it would have deadened the arm and possibly even broken it, but krogans had backup systems on their backup systems, and despite hearing something snap he still completed the swing, trapping her against his chest in a one-armed hold.

She headbutted backwards and got a sore head for her troubles. Trying to stay calm as her vision greyed at the edges she reached back and jabbed him in the eyes as hard as she could. He howled and released her, and she swept his injured leg out, dropping him to one knee again. While he struggled to rise she grabbed his head and put it through the nearest exposed thing, which happened to be a computer terminal.

There was a flash as his skin contacted with an exposed wire in the mess of the terminal and he dropped to the floor, smoking from under his armour and breathing heavy. She stayed back, still in fighting stance.

"Grunt?"

"Shepard. Mist clears." He shifted a little and she backed up a pace. "I am on the floor."

"I put you there. Do you remember?"

"I have flashes. A glorious fight. My blood sings with it."

"Grunt what the hell's going on."

"Something is wrong, Shepard. I feel…" He examined his hands, then looked to her. "Wrong. Tense. I just want to kill something, with my hands. More so than usual, like it's not my choice. Like I just want to… I don't know." He clambered to his feet, using the console for support. "The fight has cleared my head some, but…" Without warning he slammed his hand clean through the window which overlooked the bay. The same window that was supposed to be rated up to anti-material rounds. "See? Why do that? What's wrong?"

"There's nothing in your implants?"

"I see pictures of old battles. Voices of old warlords. But this is… a blood haze in my head. I want control. When we're moving, fighting, I focus. But here my blood screams, my plates itch, and even you are just noise. I'm tank born. What is this?

She dropped the stance cautiously and turned to EDI's podium, finding it hanging off the wall. "EDI. Anything in your files about krogan diseases that could cause this?"

EDI struggled to resolve her image. The blue light flickered and she saw Grunt eyeing it, an alarming look in his eyes. "Maybe skip the hologram EDI."

"Very well Shepard." She sounded almost petulant about it. "Cerberus has a number of autopsies on file but nothing on a living krogan of this age and situation. Krogan are reluctant to share medical records."

"My people were defeated by doctors and labs. They will never let stuff like that leave the homeworld."

"I guess we're going to Tuchanka then. All speed."

Joker had clearly been listening in as well. "Aye aye Commander."

Grunt turned back to his room, his shoulders twitching with tension. "Fury is my choice Shepard. Not a sickness."

"I understand. Are you going to be okay?"

"I do not know."

"If we organised fighting competitions. Could that help you focus?"

"Maybe. But I cannot guarantee I would not kill your men."

Shepard looked down to the wide open space in the hanger. "We'll think of something."

**AN;- **Somehow writing this felt like trying to write an episode of Avatar: TLA. It had to have comedy, character development, story advancement, action, melancholy. Hopefully I got at least one of those things.

So let's get into the meat of it.

I don't like the ending where Kasumi keeps Keji's memories. It just felt to me afterwards like she just withdraws into them and would never come out. If he's gone, gone gone, then she has a chance to move on. (don't even talk to me about the goddamn geth-loving Synthesis ending)

It is really difficult to get this many people all in the same scene and have them have a conversation where everyone gets a turn and it all still flows and feels semi-natural. For the record Gabby and Tali are pretty much just messing with Shepard. There is some sort of oil or grease spill, but it's the sort that really can't be cleaned and will just go with use of the engines, rather than something that's going to cause a black hole or whatever.

I freaking love the banter in this one. Although as I was writing Shepard's I-am-a-robot bit I suddenly remembered you've got Jack, who was experimented on by Cerberus, Garrus and Tali, both really concerned their friend came back wrong, and Miranda, currently experiencing massive guilt over what she did in the Lazarus Project. So maybe not the best joke to tell in that crowd.

I'd like to congratulate bluemarlin on guessing exactly where I was going with that whole Harry Potter thing. I'm not intending to make it a bit thing, just another little tidbit about Shepard's life pre-ME. Plus I genuinely do think it's the sort of thing Kasumi would do.

Jack swears more when she's stressed or in a bad situation. At least in my fic she does. I also do like the idea of her watching Annie as a sort of escapism And yeah I know some of these references would be really dated, like two hundred years dated in Mass Effect, but that's always a problem with sci-fi books. I at least try and make an effort to include references to potential future things like a Disney Red Riding Hood movie or Incredible 3 in the Bring Down the Sky novelisation. And of course there's the ongoing mentions of Unification: Blood and Honour, a turian docu-drama in the style of Band of Brothers about the 'real' stories of the lost colonies (the ones where you find their tags in ME1) And of course Jack finds some solace in Annie's story. Garrus' story is partly inspired by a movie that Garik 'Face' Loran from the Star Wars EU starred in (seriously don't anyone read the Wraith Squadron books or you'll know pretty much all my plotlines)

Ah, the Poker Night. I'm looking forward to _that_ chapter. Even considering writing a 'blue' version just for fun as well. And yeah Tali did drink in my ME1 novelisation. The joke here being does she possibly not even remember? or does Garrus not remember but she does and she's trying to appear innocent? Anyway I didn't forget that subplot from _Into Greatness. _Obviously Pazaak is a reference to the other Bioware games Knights of the Old Republic, where it's more like a form of Blackjack. Since it was just a one-off joke I've decided it is a Poker analogue in the Mass Effect 'verse.

Most of the Grunt fight is built around Thane's methods for assassinating krogan from the LotSB dossier. Plus some stuff from real life martial arts (predominantly Wing Tsun) and a few other things. As always this is a case of gameplay story segregation in the game, since I actually got Grunt's quest way back at least before I did Pragia, maybe even before the Collector ambush. And apparently in game Grunt's insatiable blood fury has just been holding on all that time despite me never using him in combat. So for the actual mission it needed to be more of an immediate issue.

Blimey, lots to talk about there. Please read and review, and Desert Sunrise I promise I'm going to get round to giving your story a read soon :)


	45. Chapter 44: Scale Itch

**AN:-**(Absolutely no one is going to believe this disclaimer) This chapter is in no way influenced or inspired by recent events. It has been written almost in its entirety since the beginning of this story.

**Chapter Forty-Four: Scale Itch**

"On your left Jack."

"Shut up cheerleader."

"Jack!"

"Ow!"

"Told you."

"This cannot be safe Shepard."

"You'd rather we let Grunt go rampaging around the engineering section? At least this way he gets to blow off steam."

"And we have to refurbish the entire hanger."

"I prefer to see it as Cerberus refurbishing the hanger for us when we next dock somewhere with a decent shipyard."

Tali laughed. "I like that way of thinking."

Below them in the hanger Grunt was sparring with Jack, Miranda, Garrus and Thane. 'Sparring' was perhaps too mild a word for it. Jack was in full biotic blaze as she hurled bolts at Grunt, who buckled over and took the blasts head on. Garrus was moving around the outside of the hanger, his assault rifle out and trained on the krogan. They were all using training guns common to Alliance military, which fired a heavy slug that would knock any of them to the ground without penetration. Chakwas hadn't been too pleased at the thought, but at least it made the training sessions slightly dangerous.

Miranda cut behind Jack, charging her field as well, and without exchanging a world she switched position with Jack, freeing the ex-convict up to make a charged run that tripped Grunt over. Before he could rise Garrus emptied half a clip into him, knocking him onto his back.

"I actually didn't anticipate this," Shepard said as she watched Thane sprint in to cover Garrus. She hadn't even spotted where the drell was hiding until he broke cover.

"What?"

"These training sessions are proving quite useful for training our personnel as well."

"Does that mean that I'm going to be thrown in the ring with an angry krogan soon?"

"Yes. I want to try out some configurations I haven't tried before. I need to see how well Samara can integrate with the team before we go to the Reaper."

"You're throwing Samara in with me aren't you?"

"That may not have been the most subtle way of telling you that I admit. But hey, congratulations on guessing correctly!"

"I wasn't aware there was a competition."

"There's always a competition Tali. This is the Normandy, it's a, vast and amazing ship that requires… constant…" She shook her head. "Y'know I started that sentence with the intention of it going somewhere."

Below them the bulkhead shook a little as Miranda was thrown into it. "Maybe you should call Chakwas?" Tali suggested.

"Good idea. I need to head up anyway."

She turned to see the elevator opening and Mordin getting off. "Hi Mordin."

"Shepard, good to see you. Heard you were down here. Need to talk in private if possible."

"I'm just heading up to the Medical Bay if you want to come with me."

"Excellent."

"I'll just stay here then shall I?" Tali asked as the doors closed.

"What's on your mind Mordin?"

"Still just received data, still processing, analysing likely scenarios. But too important to wait. Not sure how to begin, too much intel. You remember our talk, my work on genophage modification?"

She gritted her teeth a little. "You stopped the krogan adaptation to the genophage." _And there's no way in hell I'm taking you onto Tuchanka now I actually stop and think about it._

"Part of a team. Scientists all different types. Blood Pack mercenaries captured former team member. Maelon, last seen on Tuchanka might torture him, make an example. Recovering Maelon would be a personal favour to me."

_Apparently time to revise my plan from literally three seconds ago then. _"Do you think they found out your team updated the genophage?"

"Unclear. No way to determine until we get go to Tuchanka."

"Well obviously we're already on the way. Grunt is obviously the priority right now before he destroys the ship. But we will definitely try and find your team member."

"My assistant. My student. Want to see him safe. Maelon last seen outside Urdnot territory. Talk to clan chief."

The elevator doors opened and she stepped out, nodding to Mordin as she went. He rode the elevator up to the next floor while she went through to Chakwas. _This is going to be the most difficult mission ever._ The door opened and she smiled to Chakwas, who was sorting her files. _But Clan Urdnot. Wrex should be a part of that. It'd be great to see him again._

"Another injury Commander?" Chakwas asked, looking up from her files.

"I am sorry about this Doctor."

"Honestly it's fine. I've been running some analyses on Grunt's blood actually and I think it's important we keep him occupied."

"Uh, how exactly have you been getting his blood?"

"Jack has a tendency to get a little over zealous when someone causes her any harm. I've been able to collect more samples of Grunt's blood than I would have liked."

"What does your analysis suggest?"

"I've never seen anything quite like this, and I still don't have all of the necessary data to relate these results to other krogan, but there are definitely fluctuating levels of hormones, specifically testosterone."

"And what does this suggest to you?"

"Well it would certainly explain his bursts of aggression. But unfortunately I don't have any real ideas about what might be causing the fluctuations yet."

"Well keep an eye on it. And Miranda may be dead, I'm not entirely sure."

Chakwas paused in collecting her supplies. "A suggestion Commander? Next time you should open with that."

/|\

"Tuchanka's gonna be a pretty long trip Shepard."

"I was worried you were gonna say that."

"It's not that big of an FTL jump, but we have to get out of Bekenstein, then through Citadel space. It's a nightmare of travel times. I'm estimating three days minimum to get through all of it."

"Brilliant."

"I'll do what I can."

"Already piling on the power. I'll shave whatever I can."

"Thanks."

As she left she couldn't help but think that a comment of that nature would previously have elicited a response from EDI about recklessness. But now she was silent. Shepard didn't know whether it was because she had gotten the hang of Joker's humour or for some other reason. She kept making a note to herself to check on EDI and never getting round to it. In the grand scheme of things it didn't seem so significant. But then in the grand scheme of things the Salarian Task Group investigating a planet called Virmire hadn't seemed like the biggest deal.

She stopped at her computer at the CiC and sighed, toggling through her messages. There were a couple of congratulations from various people she had helped out, and an offer for a larger penis. At the very least it got a chuckle out of her.

At the next terminal over Kelly hurried in, looking flustered.

"Kelly?" The yeoman turned and she saw bloodshot eyes. Frowning, Shepard walked over to her. "It's past shift start Kelly, this isn't like you."

"It's nothing Commander, I'm just a little out of sorts this morning."

"Kelly I have to ask the next question and I want you to be honest."

She looked on the verge of tears. "What?"

"Have you taken some sort of substance?"

"What? No, of course not."

"Okay." So the bloodshot eyes weren't narcotics abuse, but that only left one other option. "Kelly are you alright? You look like you've been crying."

"No Commander honestly it's fine, just a personal matter."

"Okay. But please don't keep it to yourself. If you feel you can't tell me I can personally vouch for Chakwas, and I'm sure you must have friends among the crew."

"Of course Commander." She forced a smile. "But I'll be fine, really."

"If you're sure."

"I am. And I have a message from Mordin actually. He asked to speak to you about a delicate matter of ship security."

"Really?" It wasn't like Mordin to concern himself with such matters. "I'll go see him right away."

When she entered the research bay Mordin looked up from where he was examining something at the microscope. "Ah, Shepard. Glad to see you. Delicate matter to discuss. May effect running of the ship, particularly among human crew members."

"You could have reported this to Jacob, he's in charge of ship security."

"Not security matter exactly Shepard. Understand topic to be somewhat embarrassing to humans. Relating to sexual behaviour, specifically in matter of interpersonal and interspecies relations."

"Just come out with it Mordin."

"Case of scale itch has been found on Normandy. A couple of crew members have been effected."

"A medical issue hardly seems like a shipwide emergency Mordin."

"Scale itch only spread through varren. Sexually transmitted. Implications unpleasant. Highly virulent and given numerous casual and serious relations of a sexual nature among the human crew potential for rapid spread."

"Have you alerted Chakwas?"

"Doctor and I have been working together on effective immunisation efforts. Cure is, tricky, especially given limited resources. Less we have to cure the better."

"I'll make some sort of shipwide announcement relating to safer practices among the crew." She grinned. "Don't worry Mordin, these sorts of things aren't uncommon on human vessels. Long cruises do lead to a relaxing of relationships."

"Ah. Thank you for enlightenment Shepard. Relations not common salarian vessels, was not sure of exact chain of command and reporting protocol."

"Thank you for reporting it to me anyway."

She was already composing the draft in her head as she headed back to her terminal, and typed it out quickly, submitting it to Miranda for the final check. It was one of the more annoying parts of the job that every shipwide communication she sent out had to be vetted by the operative first.

A moment later Kelly's terminal beeped and Shepard looked over to smile at her. "Just a little health notification, I'm sure it's nothing to worry about, but there's protocol."

She had expected a laugh. She and Kelly both had a negative opinion of the rules and regulations governing them. She had expected a sarcastic comment, possibly with a flirtatious undertone. It was fun to flirt with Kelly, especially since they both knew it was nothing serious.

What she did not expect was for Kelly to bite her lip and twitch a few times, before turning to her, staring at the floor. "I need to excuse myself a moment Commander."

And with that she hurried to the elevator and got on board. As the doors closed Shepard was sure she heard a sob.

_I need to talk to someone._

/|\

Later that night she found herself wandering the mess hall again. Miranda hadn't been killed. But she had been confined to bed. Shepard considered checking in on the operative, but decided to give her a bit more time for the painkillers to kick in.

"Shepard?"

"Kasumi?" Shepard smiled. "This is a surprise."

"I don't get out into the ship that much."

"I have noticed."

"I hope you liked the books."

"I genuinely can't tell you how amazing it is to have them Kasumi."

Kasumi sat at the mess table. "A lot of the people that we stole from would buy antique books. Whenever Keiji went on a job he would steal a book for me as well." She grinned. "Sometimes the books he stole were more expensive than the items he was supposed to acquire."

"He must have loved you very much."

"He did. But when I saw you looking at those books like that I knew I had to get them for you."

"Well of course as a SPECTRE and former Alliance Commander I should probably be disapproving of stealing. But Hock was a scumbag we were forced to shoot out of the sky and he exploded in a massive fireball so…"

"It is a tricky ethical dilemma." Kasumi took a sip of her milk. "Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

Shepard went to get a hot chocolate from the kitchen. "Shoot."

"Why those books? I did a little reading. Late twentieth century, early twenty-first. And I never imagined you reading children's literature. I know they're considered classics but why?"

"My mother used to read them to me when I was a child. It was those and Treasure Island which I think had the biggest impact on me. I think Treasure Island gave me the desire for adventure. And Harry Potter is so much more than just a classic children's book. I…" She trailed off, taking a breath."

"Shepard?"

"The last person to ask me about Harry Potter was Liara."

"Oh. I heard about that too."

"Really?"

"Keep your ear to the ground on a military ship and you can hear a lot of things. Especially if the ground is Miranda's private computer while she's asleep and you're invisible."

"Well anyway, I'll just ignore _that_ and say. Read the books, maybe they'll help."

"I'm not a child Shepard."

She sipped her hot chocolate. "This is about to get unbelievably sappy given what you've just gone through but I'm drinking hot chocolate at the equivalent of three in the morning and talking about children's books so screw it." She put the drink down. "It does not do to dwell on dreams, and forget to live."

"Wow."

"I thought so too."

"Wow. That is the most sappy piece of fluff I've ever heard. Like, seriously Shepard, wow. That was just terrible I feel like I just drank an entire cup of pure sugar." She stood and started wandering back to her room. "I mean oh my god that was just terrible. Seriously do you mainline Disney movies directly into your bloodstream jeez."

Shepard took another sip. "Well that went well."

She went round to Miranda's room, taking the hot chocolate with her. She pressed the door chime and waited. "Commander, please come in."

"Good to see you Miranda. Although I should be telling you to get back to bed, and immediately at that."

"Then how did you know I would be awake in the first place?"

"Well I'm awake impossibly early in the morning, who else would possibly be awake?"

"Fair point."

"I'm sorry you got thrown into a wall at near terminal velocity."

"It was entirely Jacks' fault."

"Yes I saw that."

"Shepard I don't mean to be rude but what do you want?"

"Honestly Miranda I needed someone to talk to and you seemed like the best option."

"What exactly did you want to discuss?"

"I think something might be up with Kelly? She was late to work this morning and she seemed very emotional. I don't suppose you've heard anything?"

"Kelly and I don't exactly talk Commander." Miranda seemed to have gone oddly guarded.

"You and I both know you have other ways of gathering information."

"Shepard I know you think I spy on everybody but it really isn't true."

"Miranda what do you know?"

"An e-mail has been sent to the majority of the crew from a protected source. I wanted to find it and deal with it before troubling you with it."

"Kelly left her post in tears this morning. Show me the message."

Miranda sighed and loaded up her messages. Shepard went round her desk to see it properly. It carried the header 'Scale Itch,' and was date stamped to before she had sent out her own notification.

"The crew knew about the scale itch before I did?"

"The crew members diagnosed must have spread the story around somehow."

"Right." The rest of the statement made its way through. "You knew about the scale itch before me?"

"It didn't seem that important after I was nearly put through a wall."

"Apologies."

The message loaded. It had an image attached to it that Miranda opened, sitting back to let it load.

For a moment Shepard wasn't sure what she was looking at. There was some sort of dog-like creature, but with spines. As Shepard looked closer she realised it was an image of a varren, and there was something underneath it.

She recognised exactly what the picture was and felt white hot fury flooding her. "Get this off the network at once. Then lock down the message system for all but essential communications. Anything on this ship goes through you first, copied to me."

"Shepard that could be hundreds of inter-departmental messages, not to mention the-"

"Now Miranda. This is not the time to question me."

"Alright Shepard. But I think you may be overreacting."

"I want whoever sent that message found and expelled from my ship."

"I don't think the image is real, probably just a rather well done fake."

She was pacing in front of the desk. "I will not have that on my ship Miranda. This is bullying, and I will not have it. Kelly is off-duty to recuperate, the entire crew is to receive mandatory briefings on professional conduct, and we are going to send the creator of this image home in disgrace."

"Shepard this crew is Cerberus, you can't-"

"Don't ever tell me what I can and can't do on my ship." Miranda actually recoiled from her. "You find them. They're gone. You have until we reach the Citadel. This is unacceptable. In every single way." She turned on her heel and marched from the room. "Get it done."

** AN:-** I hate, absolutely hate, the fandom accepted fanon that Kelly is responsible for the scale itch. It is slut-shaming of the highest order, no other term for it.

Just because Kelly is promiscuous and loves aliens, you automatically assume she must have slept with a varren? So because a woman enjoys sex she would have sex with a dog? Is that the implication here? Screw that. And screw you if you believe it.

Rrr. Sorry. Touchy topic for me. I'll discuss the rest of the chapter now.

Can you tell I like Buffy? Not that the conversations could basically be between Willow and Buffy or Mal and Inara, but the conversations could basically be between Willow and Buffy or Mal and Inara.

Sort of the reason for this chapter was trying to transition back from the comedy of the last one to the seriousness of the upcoming ones with Mordin and Grunt.

When I finished Kasumi's quest that quote was genuinely the first thing I thought of. Because her quest is all about not dwelling on dreams etc. Plus Shepard's feeling all nostalgic now she has the books and everything. But even as I was writing it I was like 'blimey this is so sappy.' So that just naturally became Kasumi's response as well.

And the Kelly stuff. Strangely appropriate at the moment of course, but it genuinely wasn't planned that way. I wrote the bulk of this chapter ages ago and was looking for a good place to put it. This felt pretty natural.

Not going to say much else about it.


	46. Chapter 45: Tuchanka

**AN:-** Eh. Maybe.

**Chapter Forty-Five: Tuchanka**

Tuchanka was exactly as she'd imagined it after all her conversations with Wrex. From orbit the planet was an uninviting red ball, powerful sand storms visible even from space tearing across the surface. Once they got into the atmosphere they found a dull brown sky, clouds scudding across at speed from the harsh winds.

Shepard brought the shuttle in to the landing zone a gruff krogan had specified for her. He had offered no hint of whether their arrival was appreciated or not, and she had no clue as to Wrex's exact whereabouts. She had decided that for the initial foray it was going to be only her and Grunt, while the others she had brought would remain in the shuttle. It was a smaller ground crew than usual anyway, hopefully enough to keep the Krogans from getting antsy about outsiders.

She stepped out of the shuttle, Grunt behind her, a barely contained mass of muscle breathing heavily as they crossed the landing pad. His bursts of aggression were getting worse, and during a particularly vicious training session before they set off she had been forced to intervene and knock him unconscious. The ride down had been fraught with tension as to whether he would make it all the way, to the extent that she had even provided Garrus and Tali with riot-control weapons, just in case.

Now he paused on the edge of the landing pad and sniffed the air. "This is the great krogan homeword? This is the land of Kredak, Shiagur and Veeoll? This chunk of rock is barely worth standing on. Never thought I'd miss the tank."

From below a small team of krogan stamped up the ramp, their guns out and poised on the pair. The biggest one at the front fixed Shepard with a glare. "The clan leader wants to speak with you." He focus shifted to Grunt, who was hunched over, preparing to charge. "Keep your rutting pet on a short leash. Get him the Rite soon or put him down."

Straight away it seemed this security guard had been able to diagnose the problem. "You know what's wrong with him? What he needs?"

"There's nothing wrong with him. Just go speak to the clan leader."

"Right." Down the ramp she could see an open door and some stairs beyond, leading deeper into the building. It was a bombed out shell, like almost everything they had passed. "Will my crew be safe to remain here on the shuttle here?"

"As long as they don't plan on entering before the clan leader has given his permission."

"Of course not." Shepard nodded to Grunt and led the way down to the open door, pressing her omni-tool and sending a signal to Garrus to stay put. They had discussed multiple potential outcomes, and this had been the most likely. Shepard guessed that when Wrex realised it was her he would allow the rest of her crew to move freely.

At the bottom of the stairs was a short corridor, heavy steel beams and girders holding it up. It was clearly part of the original building, and Shepard wondered just what the purpose of that building had been. From above, especially given the way the rest of the city was laid out, it could have been a town hall or meeting place of some sort. It would certainly fit Wrex's sense of history and humour to stage his operations from somewhere like that.

The corridor opened up to a rubble-strewn path, and when they had got to the top Shepard stopped and looked around in amazement. The space had been cleared to reveal an enormous meeting place, filled with krogan, all with different clan markings and armours. She spotted the clan leaders immediately, gathered on a raised hillock of debris.

As she approached the throne two guards stepped into her path.

"Halt. You must wait till the clan leader summons you." The guard looked back to where a krogan was pacing in front of the throne. "He is in… talks." It sounded like the guard didn't quite understand what was going on. She supposed that krogan disputes were not usually solved with words. The krogan doing the talking was all but shouting as it was.

"You know what tradition demands, Clan Urdnot must respond. Your reforms will not go unopposed. You risk appearing weak at a critical time."

The krogan in the throne leaned forwards and she saw him properly for the first time. Wrex, wearing the ceremonial armour she had once rescued for him. He was shaking his head when he spotted her, turning and smiling broadly. "Shepard!"

She smirked to the guard. "Good enough?"

Wrex leaped off his throne and shoved the other krogan roughly aside, grabbing her and crushing her against his armour. She squeezed back as hard as she could and for a moment their armour groaned and creaked with the strain.

"Shepard! My friend!" he released her and smiled down at her, reminding her of one of her uncles for a moment. "You look well for dead Shepard. Should have known the void couldn't hold you."

She nodded to their surroundings. "Looks like helping me destroy Saren and the geth has worked out for you. Glad we didn't have to kill each other on Virmire."

"Ha!" He turned and headed back to his throne, cuffing the other krogan on the side of the head when he didn't move in time. "You made the rise of Urdnot possible. Virmire was a turning point for the krogan. Though not everyone was happy about it." He waved at the other krogan. "Destroying Saren's genophage cure freed us from his manipulation. I used that to spur the clans to unify. Under Urdnot."

The krogan next to her snorted. "You abandoned many traditions to get your way." Wrex had left the throne and was walking up to him, a dangerous smile on his face. "Dangerous."

Wrex slammed his head forwards and knocked the other krogan down. "Speak when spoken to Uvenk. I'll drag your clan to glory whether it likes it or not."

Shepard couldn't resist smirking at Uvenk as he got to his feet. Wrex was back on his throne, looking much more officious as he looked down at her. "Now Shepard, what brings you here? How's the Normandy?"

"Destroyed in a Collector surprise attack. I ended up spaced."

"Well you look good." He smiled. "Ah, the benefits of a redundant nervous system."

She bit her lip and nodded. "Yeah humans don't have that."

"Oh, it must have been painful then." _Still master of the understatement._ "But you're standing here and you've got a strong new ship. Takes me back to the old days. Us against the unknown. Killing it with big guns. Good times."

"I need help Wrex."

"We don't often allow aliens to do business on Tuchanka, but you are the exception."

She pointed back to where Grunt was stretching and growling at things. "I have a krogan on my crew. He has some kind of sickness and needs treatment."

Wrex walked past her, getting up close to Grunt. "Where are you from whelp? Was your clan destroyed before you could learn what is expected of you?"

Grunt got into Wrex's face and for the first time Shepard realised grunt was taller by several inches. But as Wrex stared him down it was clear to her who would win. "I have no clan. I was tank bred by Warlord Okeer. My line descended from Kredak, Moro, Shiagar."

The names meant nothing to her, but Wrex sneered. "You recite warlords, but you are the offspring of a syringe."

"I am pure krogan, you should be in awe."

Wrex didn't respond to the posturing, stepping back and flexing his shoulders. "Okeer is a very old name. A very hated name."

"He is dead."

"Of course, you're with Shepard." Wrex gave her a look and she sensed something important was going on beneath the conversation. "How could he be alive?"

"What is wrong with me?" Grunt asked.

"There's nothing wrong with you. You are becoming a full adult." He snorted and sized Grunt up. "You must undergo the Rite of Passage."

Uvenk finally spoke up, brushing past her. "Too far Wrex. Your clan may rule but this thing is not krogan." He stormed out of the meeting place and right out of the hall.

Wrex grunted and shook his head. "Idiot." He turned back to Grunt and the younger krogan straightened. "So Grunt. Do you wish to stand with Urdnot?"

"It is in my blood. It is what I am for."

"Good boy." She sensed a lot more than simple approval for his choice. She needed to talk to Wrex about the significance of what was going on. "Speak with the Shaman; he's over on the second level. Give him a good show and he'll set you on the path." Grunt growled and stomped down the ramp, leaving Wrex free to turn to her. "You too Shepard. How many times have you stepped in a mess for your crew, hmm?"

She smirked. "Enough." As Wrex returned to his throne she followed Grunt to the second level.

They found the Shaman easily, giving instruction to a small group of krogan. Or more specifically chastising a small group of krogan. "You go beyond yourself Gatatog Uvenk. The Rites of Urdnot are dominant."

She recognised the krogan who had been meeting with Wrex. "How do we know it will challenge him? He's unnatural. The beasts of the Rite could ignore him like a lump of plastic."

The shaman couldn't have sounded less interested. "They know blood, no matter the womb. Your barking does not help your case."

Grunt marched forwards and growled. "I'll speak for myself."

The shaman turned to face him and smiled. "This is the tank bred." He sniffed the air near Grunt's face. "It is very lifelike. Smells correct as well." He turned to Uvenk and sneered. "Your protests ring hollow Uvenk."

Shepard decided to butt into the testosterone filled conversation. "Urdnot Wrex has given us permission to seek clan status for Grunt."

"Permission, hrmph. That is good enough, if lacking in spirit."

"If this must stand on ritual then I invoke a denial. My krant stands against him. He has no one."

The Shaman growled deep in his throat and turned to Shepard. "My patience is tested but Uvenk invokes correctly. Grunt, who is your krant, your allies willing to kill and die on your behalf?"

Grunt looked lost for a moment, but Shepard knew exactly how this worked. "We stand with Grunt as shipmates and comrades."

"Shipmates are not the same thing." _Maybe not to you._ "But I grant you aliens your simple interpretation."

Uvenk was still griping. "Aliens don't know strength. My followers are true krogan. Everything about Grunt is a lie."

Shepard had finally gotten bored. She stepped over to Uvenk, got right into his face and stared him down. He matched her gaze and even stepped in closer, which made it a lot easier for her as she slammed her forehead onto his snout. He recoiled a step and put a hand to his face.

"You, you dare?"

The Shaman broke down laughing. "I like this human," he said between bursts of laughter. "She understands."

Uvenk knew when he was beaten. "I withdraw my denial." He walked past them and shoved a finger near Shepard's face. "This will be decided elsewhere."

As he left the Shaman smiled to her. "You have provoked them, reason enough for me to like you. They're your problem now."

She smiled. "Let's do this."

"Excellent."

/|\

As they waited for the rest of her squad to show up she stood with Wrex at the edge of the meeting space. Grunt was being put through his paces by one of the chief scouts to prove he was a proper krogan.

"Sounds like you've got big changes ahead for the krogan," she said as they watched some of the other clans leaving.

"We are making a neutral ground where all clans are welcome. Fertile females can be shared among clans. We will strengthen the race as a whole."

"What do the women of clan Urdnot think about this plan?"

"It was our female clan leader's idea. The neutral area is safe and it encourages more female clans to ally with us. Attacks on Urdnot now endanger the females of all clans; even clans that want to see me dead will defend clan Urdnot."

"Your women have their own clan structure?" She didn't know much about krogan culture. Mostly because no one knew much about krogan culture.

"Nothing is more valuable than a fertile female. We know it, they know it. They isolate themselves for their own protection. We work together to set up breeding alliances." He grumbled a little. "I can hardly do anything without clan leader Uta's approval."

She grinned at that. "How do you even maintain security with so many different clans in one place?"

"Any clan willing to send in hostages can come in. No fighting inside the camp. Each clan punishes its own criminals. We stop conflicts before anyone dies. Then we present a simple choice. Pay a fine and deal with your problem, or your clan is no longer welcome."

"That doesn't sound very harsh by krogan standards."

"Allies from other clans like what I'm doing. They help deal with sceptics." That sounded like a euphemism. "Many are eager for an outlet. Anytime I've declared a clan unwelcome, my allies destroy them. Word gets around."

She nodded at that, it was about what she had expected anyway. "This all sounds ambitious. How's it gone so far?"

"Better than I'd feared, worse than I'd hoped."

"You're starting to sound like a politician Wrex."

"Ha!"

"I wouldn't think this is making you a lot of friends."

"Traditionalists like Uvenk are chained varren. Always fighting. Guarding their pathetic stick in the ground. When the smoke clears I can plant the flag on their corpses and rally the rest around a new krogan hub."

"Sounds like you're counting on a lot of bloodshed, even after you unite."

He nodded. "It will be slow, but I won't change what we are. Krogan are judged by the strength of our enemies. Our worst insult is to say someone's not worth killing."

Shepard's mood dimmed. "Believe me, there's going to be plenty of enemies waiting for you in the next few years."

"I remember how the Council treated your team Shepard. And how they still treat the krogan."

"I'm not asking you to fight for the Council Wrex. I'm asking you to fight for me, when the time comes."

He sighed, actually sighed, and leaned against a chunk of debris. "I owe you Shepard, but you ask much. My people need me, every one of them. And you are here working with Cerberus, once an enemy we set out to destroy." He turned to face her and she felt for the first time the weight of his hundreds of years of experience. "The lines are getting a little blurry from where I stand."

"Believe me old friend I understand what you mean. But I'm trying to stay positive."

"Ha. I remember the relentless optimism as well."

"I've brought some of the team around. Some of them from pretty far gone. I even think the Cerberus Operatives supposed to keep me from going off mission might be on my side now."

"You are always too trusting."

"You're trying to bring together a species which has famously been at war with itself for nearly a thousand years because they were sterilised and have been in steady decline for all that time. And yet I'm the trusting one."

That was the moment Mordin and Garrus arrived on their level.

"Apparently you are." He growled it. "You try even my patience Shepard. A salarian in this place?"

"Mordin Solus is a doctor. Prior to my assignment he was working at a clinic on Omega in order to cure a plague affecting all non-humans."

"You did not have a doctor? What was he before he became so compassionate?"

"I'm sorry Wrex, but I can't tell you."

Wrex glared at her. "You will tell me of this one day. And then I will decide. For now he stays under your protection. I will not be responsible should one of my men take issue to his being here."

"Understood."

"So much hostility." Garrus grinned. "No kind words for old friends?"

Tali had joined them as well, shaking her head. "Have you seen this place Shepard? There is a mechanic trying to build something for a tank out of an oil drum. I think he might be making a combustion manifold."

Wrex finally smiled again. "Impressive, is it not?"

"I was going to say incredibly dangerous. He does realise that it could explode right?"

"I doubt he cares. That's the fourth combustion manifold the scouts have managed to destroy or lose. Maybe an explosion will teach them more care."

"It is good to see you've become such a benevolent ruler old friend," Garrus said.

"And you have stayed exactly where you were two years ago. Congratulations also in order."

"I don't think that's quite-"

"No no. I became ruler of a clan stronger than any Tuchanka has ever seen, Shepard died and came back. You are now her sniper once more Archangel."

"That isn't exactly the way I'd phrase it." Shepard hid a smile as she waited for the realisation to hit him. "Hang on, how do you know that name?"

"We are not entirely without news out here so far from the Citadel." Wrex chuckled. "You bloodied the Blood Pack's snouts some. I may decide to like you."

"How… magnanimous."

"Well obviously not yet. You still have a way to go to be worthy of my friendship." He turned to Tali and smiled properly. "It is good to see you Tali Zorah vas Neema."

"It is good to see you too Urdnot Wrex."

"Wait, she gets a full name and a 'good to see you?'"

"Let it go Garrus." Shepard had noticed the Shaman leading Grunt back up to them. He had apparently left most of the scout squad unconscious.

"The whelp has strength if nothing else. Now we must see if he has spirit."

Garrus seemed grateful for the distraction. "Ah. And what was wrong with our teammate?"

"He needs to undergo the krogan Rite of Passage to become a man."

Mordin nodded. "Ah, puberty ritual, common among species with hormone-driven reproductive urges."

"That would have been a more useful analysis if you could have come up with it on the ship," Shepard said.

"And before he broke my favourite shotgun."

"Cease your complaining," Grunt said. "I am ready for the Rite."

Wrex nodded. "Take the Tomkah."

"The one with or without a combustion manifold?"

As they walked to the vehicle pool Garrus leaned over to Shepard. "So this is adolescence? Can't we just take him to Omega and buy him a few dances?"

**AN;-**I basically took out all the flavour text from Tuchanka. The krogan get to the point, and appreciate others who can. Just feels a bit weird that the Chief Scout who's all like 'Wrex told me I had to be polite, not that I had to talk to you' would then proceed to give you a full tactical breakdown and partial life story just because you asked nicely.

I did quite like writing the Wrex and Shepard conversation. Wrex never felt that interesting to me back in ME1, and so his development in ME2 felt really good to me. Kept the essence of the character and still moved him forwards. What more could you ask from character development? Similar to the way I feel about Jack in between 2 and 3. Of course if I kill her off then that probably won't apply.

Not much else to say. I've been watching a lot of Parks and Rec and I do think the final conversation with Garrus, Tali and Wrex may have been a little too influenced by it. I may change it later.


	47. Chapter 46: The Rite of Passage

**AN:- **Quite enjoyed this one.

**Chapter Forty-Six: The Rite of Passage**

The Tomka tank was like a mako on steroids. It had clearly been purpose built for the krogan, and standing inside it Shepard couldn't help but feel a little insignificant. She had to reach up to hold onto the bracers, and if she even attempted to sit in one of the gigantic seats she figured she would look like a toddler. In the end Wrex hadn't allowed Mordin to go with them, describing it as an offence to the Rite to allow a salarian to go. He had returned to the shuttle with no argument at least.

They drove right out of the Urdnot compound and into the wasteland, although the most they could see of it was through the tiny slits set high in the tank. The krogan driving offered no interesting insights into their surroundings, and the Shaman similarly sat silently, facing Grunt, who was clearly struggling to hold onto his aggression. Shepard hoped they sorted him before he went completely off the rails.

Out of nowhere the Shaman spoke.

"This is Tuchanka's most recent scar. The last surface city to fall in the rebellions. The keystone is at the heart. It has survived wars and the passage of centuries. It endures, like the krogan. If you wish to join Clan Urdnot you must contemplate the keystone and its trials."

Grunt spoke, suddenly much calmer. "What will happen?"

"Who knows? You must adapt. Strive no matter the situation. Any true krogan will."

The tomka slid to a halt in a pile of gravel and the back opened up. No more words were exchanged, but the message was clear. Shepard nodded and they moved out into a blasted courtyard. The Tomka reversed and disappeared into the city.

Garrus gestured with his assault rifle to the enormous tower sitting in the centre of the courtyard. "That must be the keystone."

"And there's some sort of control panel next to it. That must be what he meant by contemplating it."

Grunt drew his shotgun. "Let us go."

"It's your party Grunt."

Tali paused in her usual pre-battle preparations. "Really Shepard?"

"We're his krant. He calls the shots."

Grunt was already over by the panel, pressing it. The keystone began to rise up the side of the tower, a krogan voice booming out from unseen speakers.

"First the krogan conquered Tuchanka, and mastered a natural world only we are fit to hold."

The stone slammed down and the courtyard shook, dust sweeping over them and obscuring their view. In the gloom they heard the roar of varren. Grunt bellowed in joy and she saw his enormous silhouette moving towards the source of the noise. She fought the instinct to give orders to the others. The three of them were standing fully exposed in the courtyard, with only a few scattered pieces of metal and stone to protect them. There were metal pillars around the edge of the upper level, and the stairs would make good choke points, but Grunt seemed determined to do things his way.

"I will take these dogs alone," he crowed. "Leave them to me."

"Shepard."

"It's his call Garrus. It's his Rite."

"He doesn't have the training to deal with this situation."

"We can't break krogan tradition. We are _his_ krant, it's that simple."

The first pack of varren pounced into the courtyard, focusing on Grunt and growling as they approached him. Shepard bit back an order as Grunt went into predator mode, crouching low and stalking towards them. Her finger tightened on the trigger of his rifle and she felt tension rolling into her shoulders.

The shotgun boomed, once, twice, a third time, and three varren dropped. He didn't bother to reload, dropping the gun and drawing his Carnifax instead. The six shots emptied in seconds and two more varren dropped. But a second pack had entered the space and were on him as well.

"On your left," Tali shouted.

"Stay out of this," he growled back.

He struggled to reload as they advanced on him, getting the heat sink into his shotgun but fumbling his pistol. The lead two varren pounced and he cut them down, but two had moved to flank him, and as he swung his shotgun to counter they jumped him, grabbing an arm each while the fifth member of the pack charged him from the front, bowling him over. He roared as they dug at his armour, struggling hard.

"I have a shot."

"Hold Garrus."

"I'm not going to let them tear him apart."

"Hold fire!"

Grunt's bellows twisted as one of the varren got beneath the armour plate on his left arm and dug into the exposed flesh. He abandoned the shotgun and grabbed the varren on his right round the throat, swinging it overhand and smashing its head into the varren on his left. The final one sprang back but he was already upon it, grabbing its neck and twisting hard.

She expected him to cry out in triumph, but instead he simply turned back to his fallen weapons, and she realised that his stomach had been savaged as well. He dropped to one knee by his shotgun and racked a new heat clip into place, then grabbed for the pistol, standing on shaky legs.

He made it back to the keystone and rested a hand on the panel, blood smearing the electronics. Shepard gritted her teeth against the dozen things she needed to say, wondering how far she could let herself take this.

"Shepard." So soft she almost didn't hear it beneath the howling of the wind.

"Grunt."

"I need…"

She turned on her heel. "Garrus, forward position, Tali, defence and tech backup. I'll take long-range. Let Grunt take the heavy lifting but keep him free to act." She turned back to see thanks written across his face. "Pull that thing."

He nodded and slammed his fist against the keystone mechanism. Once more the mighty stone rose high above them as the voice boomed across the hellscape.

"Then the krogan were lifted to the stars, to destroy the fears of a galaxy. An enemy only we could chase to their lair."

The dust rolled over them and at once they heard an unearthly scream high above, spiralling closer.

"Harvester!" Garrus yelled, swinging his rifle up and unleashing a volley of shots.

The gigantic bug was unconcerned with the assault, crashing into the dirt and vomiting out a dozen smaller creatures. At first Shepard thought they were rachni, but these creatures were blood red and moved without the deadly skittering she knew so well. Grunt growled appreciatively. "Crawlers."

His shotgun boomed and one of the bugs exploded, scorching the floor around it. A second crawler spat fire towards him, thankfully falling well short.

"Cryo rounds," Shepard shouted. "Garrus, knock 'em down."

The concussion rounds did their job, knocking the Crawlers to the floor and leaving them open for the cryo rounds. Freezing them solid prevented the explosion, and Grunt laughed with glee as he ran from frozen form to frozen form, shattering them with the butt of his shotgun.

Just as the last one scattered across the floor they heard the scream from above. Shepard turned to fire an anti-material round into the Harvester, watching chitin explode off it, blood pouring from the wound. It crashed to the floor and vomited up more Crawlers before flying away. It was clearly dying so Shepard didn't bother, but Grunt sprinted past her and emptied his shotgun at it and it crashed to the ground outside the courtyard.

Now they knew what to do the Crawlers went down easily. When the last one went down Shepard knocked the heat sink from her rifle and approached Grunt. "Ammo check?"

He nodded. "Check the bodies."

She looked back to see Garrus already collecting heat sinks and grinned. Grunt was heading for the keystone. "Whatever comes next will be our true challenge."

Shepard was almost afraid to ask what else they might fight. She accepted the heat sinks from Garrus and unfolded her rifle, scanning the battered ruins around them for any hint of creatures that might have been attracted by the earlier keystone smashes.

Behind her she could hear the keystone rising again, and once more the voice echoed out around them. "Now all krogan bear the genophage. Our reward. Our curse. It is a fight where the only goal is survival."

The keystone slammed to earth, but the shaking continued long after it had come to rest. Grunt came to stand beside her, shotgun in hand and a broad smile on his face. "Feel that? Everything is shaking, I am ready."

There was something tugging at Shepard's memories as the shaking began to subside. Movement flickered at the corner of her eye and she flinched, half-turning towards it, her rifle raised.

"Shepard?"

"I'm fine Garrus."

"What's going on?" Tali asked.

"We fight a true foe now."

Something emerged from the ground before them, a long and wavering tentacle that probed at the air around it. At the end it split into two strands, both with a bulbous tip. It looked slimy and wet and fragile as it swayed. Shepard's world froze and she felt every hair on her body stand on end as Grunt stepped forwards and raised his shotgun.

"An insult," he grunted, targeting it.

She tried to speak but the words were stuck, she couldn't breathe as images assaulted her, teammates dead on the ground, burned to the bone by acid, torn in two, shredded and half eaten. A nightmare of blood of destruction she had walked out of alone. Forty-nine friends dead in minutes.

The shotgun roared and the tentacle twitched, then retracted under the ground.

"Is that it?" Grunt bellowed.

The ground rent apart as the head of the Thresher burst through, coated in grime and dirt with its mouth dripped thick mucus. Eyeless it saw them nonetheless, and the mandibles twitched and clicked together as it pulled its hideous body from the ground, thick and fat and writhing. It keened, a high pitched wail that set her teeth on edge. A shadow fell across them as it towered high into the air and prepared to strike.

Something grabbed her and she was wrenched to the side and off the upper level, crashing hard onto solid ground that partly shook her from her panic. Garrus was on top of her, shielding her as rubble bounced around them. "Shepard?" She realised he had been shouting her name for some time.

"I'm here."

"Need suggestions."

"Right." She fought through the fog surrounding her brain and struggled to her feet just as the Thresher Maw retracted underground again. "It'll strike in a moment, we need to get central."

As they pounded back up to the keystone Grunt and Tali appeared from the other side, covered in a fine layer of dust that seemed to be stuck to them by some sort of thick liquid.

"It slimed me," Tali deadpanned.

"Focus up people we have four of us to take that thing down. I want a concentrated barrage next time it shows itself, inferno rounds, armour piercing slugs if you got 'em. Everything into its head." She matched actions to words, programming the Widow to AP rounds and priming an incendiary grenade at the same time.

The rumbling began just as she finished, and a moment later it exploded from the ground nearest to them. They whirled and fired as one, drawing an ethereal howl from it as the rounds exploded against the hardened chitin. As it retreated again Shepard clearly saw thick ichor dripping from a wound.

"Once more people, we need to bring this thing down."

"Why doesn't it just come up through the middle of us?" Garrus asked.

"Don't care."

It emerged again, and this time before they were able to target it launched a steam of acid at them. Smoke rose from her armour as droplets splashed at her legs and she could only pray it wouldn't eat clean through. She fired another round and was rewarded with a hideous shriek as blood poured down its gullet.

"Shepard, trouble."

She turned to see Garrus helping Tali to the ground, ripping off a section of her suit to reveal pale grey skin beneath, already stained with an acid burn. She reloaded, already moving to their position. "Get her out of the field of fire."

"You need every gun," Tali said, strain clear in her voice. "I'll make it."

"Tali-" There was no time to argue as it erupted once more, slamming down right where Grunt was. They heard the blast of his shotgun and Shepard put another AM round into the side of its head, drawing blood once more. When it retreated a waterfall of blood poured from its mouth, coating Grunt who was down on one knee.

She ran over to find him laughing despite the smoke rising from him as the things acid ate into his entire body. "Worthy," he said, standing and picking up his shotgun again. "Come on beast!"

The ground at their feet shook, rubble dancing away from them. Shepard realised what was about to happen a second before it did. She had time to shove Grunt as hard as she could and leap in the opposite direction.

The Thresher burst right through the floor where they had been standing, close enough that its skin scraped Shepard's boots as she rolled onto her back and tried desperately to bring her rifle round again. It rose above them, screaming loud enough that even with her earplugs her ears rang.

Its head came down just as her rifle swung into position. The rifle bucked and her round went cleanly through its mouth. At the same time she saw the impact of a shotgun, blasting flesh and matter that rained down on her. The Thresher's cry lost power, then the body flexed and twitched. She recognised the death thrashes, pushing herself back and scrabbling to her feet.

As it whipped and flailed it brought down the metal pillars and tore the stone at their feet to shreds. As it died its body slowly slid back beneath the ground, the mandibles digging into the ground and tracking long scratches. As it sank a mandible caught her boot and held for a moment, slicing through and cutting into her skin. She yelled and kicked it off, trying to move but her foot collapsed under her.

They lay there in silence for several long minutes after it had finally disappeared, not sure whether it was truly dead. Finally Shepard forced herself up, watching Grunt rise across from her. They came back towards the keystone, where Garrus was still shielding Tali from harm.

"Is it over?" Tali asked.

"I think so." Shepard sat down heavily next to her. "Diagnosis?"

"I've isolated the wound and sealed it," Garrus said.

"And I've activated the antibiotics. I should be singing in a few minutes."

"Have Chakwas check you when you get back."

"Yes ma'am."

Grunt had fallen to one knee in front of them. "My krant," he said. "You have my thanks."

Shepard reached out and gripped his forearm. "Call it what you will Grunt. Shipmates, krant, clan. We're yours."

"I understand."

From above came the whine of a shuttle engine.

"We have company," Garrus said.

The shuttle landed near the hole the Thresher Maw had left. Shepard got to her feet, the rifle still in her hands, and followed Grunt over as the door opened to reveal Uvenk and some of his men.

"You live," Uvenk said as they met. "And you brought down the Thresher Maw. No one has done that in generations. Urdnot Wrex was the last."

Grunt bowed his head to Shepard. "My krant gave me strength beyond my genes." He grinned. "Which are damn good."

"This will cause discussion. I wonder. You say you are pure, no alien meddling in your construction, just the Warlord Okeer."

"The best krogan traits are distilled into Grunt. He's designed to be perfect." She thought of Miranda and wondered whether she had just delivered a compliment or insult to him.

"Being designed is the problem. But not made by aliens and he is truly powerful. That is a tolerable loophole."

Grunt growled. "A what?"

"A reason to accept you. You are a mistake, but your potential could tip the current balance of the clans."

"You spit on my father's name." Grunt took a step with every accusation. "And Shepard's name." He was right in Uvenk's face. "But now you stop ranting, because I am strong." Even with the acid stains on his armour and the burns on his skin it was clear he was stronger than Uvenk. The other krogan shifted uneasily.

Uvenk didn't seem to notice, or maybe he still thought he had any power left. "With restrictions. You cannot breed, or serve on an alien ship. But you'd be clan in name."

"You talk like he's a thing," Shepard tried to check her rifle was loaded without alerting them. "You're after his power. You don't really want him in your clan."

"Of course not. I didn't really want to cooperate with Clan Urdnot either, but I had to. Clan Gatatog is on the verge, either of greatness, or of joining the dust. I get traditionalist support if I fight you, and reformer support if I back you." He waved at the hole. "Your Rite of Passage tipped that balance too."

Garrus had moved up to Grunt's other side. "It's your choice Grunt," Shepard said.

Garrus sounded dangerously calm. "Sounds like an easy path."

"That's the problem. I am pure krogan Uvenk. You are the pretender."

Uvenk shifted his weight lower. "Your head is valuable whether you're alive or dead."

Grunt snorted. "Just try to take it."

Uvenk went for his shotgun, but before he could finish the move Shepard brought her anti-material rifle up and put a round into his head. She hadn't bothered to take it off armour piercing and the round went right through and out the other side, burying itself into the chest of the krogan behind him.

Garrus had his own rifle up and emptied half a clip into the nearest krogan's face, dropping him to the floor. The last one tried to run, but Grunt cut him down with a single blast.

"Uvenk is meat," he said. "Let's signal at the keystone to get out of here, and leave him to rot."

/|\

It was a silent ride back to the camp. Wrex had arrived with the tomka this time, and after taking one look at the bodies had merely motioned them inside. Shepard applied medi-gel to her ankle and checked on Tali's vitals. She was running a high fever and was out of it on the painkillers but there were no truly worrying signs. She contacted Chakwas about it and the doctor said she would fly down to check.

They gathered back at Wrex's throne, standing off to one side as Grunt and the Shaman spoke directly to each other, Wrex looking on.

"You have passed the Rite of Passage," the Shaman said. "Earning the honour of clan and name. Many survive, but it has been years since a Thresher Maw fell."

Wrex stood from his throne and came down to join them. "Your name shall live in glory. Grunt you are Urdnot, you may now own property, join the army, and apply to serve under a battlemaster."

"Shepard is my battlemaster, she has no match."

"Understood," Wrex gave her a wry glance. "Congratulations Urdnot Grunt, accept this token from Fortack, his weapons are the finest we have."

Grunt took the shotgun and grinned. "I like this."

"It will serve you well." Wrex turned to Shepard. "And I have a feeling you will need it."

**AN:- **The Tomka tanks the krogans use were apparently based on the original concept for the mako, so I gave a little nod to that.

I messed up a little at the end of the last chapter by including Mordin in the end banter. But it does make sense to me that the krogan wouldn't want a salarian to attend such an important event. They're already clearly annoyed that aliens are there, so they wouldn't trust a salarian. The only reason Garrus gets to come is because Wrex knows him personally.

The whole thing with krants and what exactly the Rite involves isn't really explained. Did Wrex do it alone or did he have a krant? Because it's Grunt's Rite should he be in charge or is Shepard still in charge because she's his commander? Obviously in the game you're just in charge because you're the player character but story-wise what's going on? As far as I'm concerned I don't think Grunt asking for help from Shepard would be considered weakness, it's the wisdom of battle knowing that you have to defer to people with more experience.

I actually ended up doing quite a bit of reading into PTSD for Shepard's little breakdown. I hadn't actually done much research into it before starting this story but apparently I've actually been portraying Shepard pretty well as a PTSD sufferer for both Akuze and her death. So go me apparently. But yeah some of her freezing up was taken from direct accounts of sufferers.

Can you tell I'm a fan of Lovecraft? I think I used just about every synonym for 'wail' 'hideous' and 'big' describing that thing. 'It slimed me' is obviously a little Ghostbusters reference. Loved having Grunt actually end up in the thing's mouth and beat it half to death from the inside and I didn't want to outright state whether Shepard or Grunt delivered the killing blow so they shot it in unison. The reason it doesn't break through the floor until the end is partly for dramatic reasons, and partly because I imagine the courtyard the keystone is on is much denser stone than the surrounding rubble, but every time the Thresher goes under it attacks the underside, so when it comes back for its final attack its just breaking through the last layer rather than the entire foundations.

Mordin next.


	48. Chapter 47: Old Blood

**AN:- **I'm writing myself into corners with alarming frequency at the moment.

**Chapter Forty-Seven: Old Blood**

Chakwas met them at the shuttle, bag in hand and stern expression firmly in place. Tali was lying on the bed with a drip feeding into her suit. "She was very lucky. A mild infection and burn, but Garrus did the right thing."

"Is she going back to the ship?"

"She should be fine in a few hours. Quarian drug dispersal systems are the best available. But perhaps she should consider not getting another suit puncture."

"I'll let her know."

"Perhaps I should stay on-planet."

"Really?"

"Krogan medicine is primitive in many ways. I talked with Wrex and agreed to come and help their doctors."

"That's good."

Footsteps behind her alerted her to Mordin's approach. "Shepard. Concerned for student. Hope to move soon."

"Of course Mordin. I was talking to Wrex about this. He thinks his Scout Commander might have some information for us."

"Speak to Commander. Ascertain location. Good."

They headed back into the camp, Shepard trying hard to ignore the immediate hostility of the krogan around them. Everyone they passed growled as they went by, and several even started to approach them before she marched away. Mordin seemed unaffected by the displays, honing in on the Scout Commander with laser precision.

They met at the very border of the camp, overlooking the desolate husk of what had once been a great city. More and more Shepard wondered if Wrex's dream had even a hope of coming true. "What do you want human?" The Commander said as they approached. "Wrex told me to be polite; he didn't say you were going to talk to me."

"I'm looking for a salarian, the Blood Pack captured him and he was last seen around here."

The Commander nodded. "I heard about that salarian. Poor bastard." He didn't sound too broken up about it. "If it's Blood Pack then Clan Weyrloc has him. Sent one of my scouts to check it out but he never reported back, guess they got him too." He shrugged. "Chief told me to give you one of the trucks. Just follow the highway to Weyrloc's base, if you've got the quad to deal with him and the Blood Pack."

He turned back to watching the horizon and it was clear they were dismissed. Shepard turned to Mordin. "You'd better stay here. Maybe get inside the truck and stay there. Don't let any other krogan know you're here."

"Good choice. Tank defences offer good protection against oncoming angry hoard."

"I honestly don't know if you're being serious right now. Stay in the tank and please don't cause trouble."

/|\

"Are you sure you're up to this Tali?"

"I am sure."

"You're looking a little shaky."

"I am fine. I am standing and I can walk."

"Tali you're still lying down."

"I know that Garrus I meant I could stand if I wanted to." She sneezed. Loudly.

"That… cannot be pleasant inside a helmet."

"There are filters that will clear the mucus and special de-misters, I am fine."

She forced herself up, steadying herself on the bed. "I will be fine."

"I'm not about to bring you into a firefight when you can barely stand."

Tali stood. "See. Standing."

She immediately fell over into Garrus' arms.

"You're not fit for combat."

"Chakwas said the painkillers should wear off in an hour or so and I will be just fine. I can sleep in the tank."

"Alright. But if you're not ready by the time we arrive you're staying in the tank."

"Fine."

/|\

There wasn't much information about their destination. From what Shepard could see it was an old hospital from after the genophage, but it had been the site of too many conquest attempts as each clan attempted to take it for themselves. What had once been a place of honour and hope had become just another ruin.

_Hard not to see that as some sort of metaphor_

Tali woke up as they were nearing their drop-off site. "I would not have thought the krogan would devote so many resources to helping the sick."

Mordin was driving. Grunt had elected to stay behind at the camp and greet his new clan mates, so it was only the four of them again. "Hospital important to krogan. Sites of honour, important for increasing population."

"I always forget just how much damage the genophage did to them." Garrus was looking out of the window at the shattered scenes they passed. "I see the reasoning behind the decision, but everything Wrex has ever said makes me question it."

"We have no evidence this is related to the genophage," Shepard said from her seat next to Tali. "It's more than likely they simply captured this salarian because of his species, not for any rational reason."

"Who is this guy anyway?" Tali asked. "Why do we care?"

"Maelon a student of mine. Bright. Brilliant even. But prone to trouble. Want to ensure his safety." He brought them to a halt. "Unable to traverse further, terrain unsuited for heavy tank. Likelihood of structural collapse."

"How far are we Mordin?"

"Approximate distance one klick, assuming direct path between us and the hospital."

"Shouldn't take too long." Shepard checked her loadout and nodded for Garrus to open the door. "You sure you're fit Tali?"

She stood and saluted. "Ready for action Shepard."

"Let's get going then."

They were on what had once been a highway big enough to allow several vehicles the size of the tomka. Now there was so much debris they could barely slip through in some places. At one point Garrus and Shepard had to hold up a piece of sheet metal to allow their teammates through.

"What sort of resistance are we expecting?" Garrus asked as they walked.

"It's Blood Pack, so we know their training and standard tactics. As to numbers I'd anticipate quite a few. This must be an important site for them."

At that moment a bullet slammed into the floor at her feet. "For example," she said as she swung her rifle up and found the vorcha who had fired the offending shot. A single shot burst his head like a balloon and they ran for cover.

Bullets thudded around them, sending splinters of concrete and stone flying at them. Shepard calmly cycled the action and waited for the lull in the battle. When she stepped out a gigantic krogan was making his way towards them, but a bullet to the knee blasted his leg off and dropped him, leaving him wide open for Mordin and Tali to finish him off.

Next to her Garrus stepped out and fired a round from his own sniper rifle, holing the flame tank on the back of one of the vorcha. The resulting explosion took three of them, leaving only a couple of the Blood Pack left. They were swiftly put down and the squad moved forwards up the ramp ahead of them.

At the top they came across a much larger force, with several krogan giving orders to the vorcha. Most of the troops seemed to be equipped with flame throwers though, all standing so close together it was a simple matter for them to blow the tanks and wipe out the entire force in a matter of seconds.

Garrus dropped one of the krogan commanders and turned to her. "This is too easy Shepard."

"I agree," she said as she blew the snout off another.

The final krogan turned and ran. "Scout." Mordin stood and watched him disappear. "Returning to base. Probably alerting comrades. Heavier resistance inside. Urban environment, close quarters. Will give entrenched defenders significant advantage."

"We'll get through them," Shepard said. "We've faced worse odds than this before."

They carried on through the rubble, coming up to the entrance to the hospital, which had been sealed with a simple lock. Tali got down to bypass it, shaking her head a little as she got to work.

"Tactics Shepard?"

"We take it slow. Cover each other, check corners, clear rooms fully before we move on."

"Know we are coming. Danger to Maelon increased."

"We can't risk ourselves unnecessarily because of it though. This place has the potential to become a slaughterhouse if we let it."

"Understood. Will function effectively. Concern not an issue."

It was taking longer to hack the door than she had expected. "Hey are you alright Tali?"

"Hm?" Tali shook like a dog and turned to look at her. "Sorry Shepard, the snakes aren't cooperating."

"Uh, snakes?"

"The snakes which connect the balls together."

"Are you sure you're alright Tali?"

"I'm just great Shepard." She twisted her wrist and the door sprang open, whereupon she promptly fell forwards and Shepard realised she'd been leaning against it for support.

"Okay, get her up."

She was protesting as they got her to her feet again. "Just got lightheaded," she said once she was properly upright. "But I'm alright now."

"Just, stay back alright?"

"No problem."

"Alright, let's get in there."

Garrus took the lead, assault rifle at the ready, waiting at every corner and sweeping the path ahead of them. Mordin was backing him up while Shepard stayed back to keep an eye on Tali. It was difficult to tell beneath the helmet, but she thought her friend was getting worse.

"Something up ahead." Garrus leaned out for another look. "Not moving. Humanoid. Could be a body. Or an ambush."

"Scanning for life signs." Mordin pushed his omni-tool out. "No life signs."

"Could still be an ambush."

"I am scanning for explosives," Tali said. "Looks clean."

"I'm going to check it out."

They waited another few minutes until Garrus sent them the all clear, then gathered round the body. Mordin knelt down to examine it.

"Human. Sores, tumours, ligatures showing restraint at wrists and ankles. Track marks for repeated injection sites. Test subject, victim of experimentation."

"I don't suppose there's way to tell who this guy was?"

"No tattoos or ID. May be slave or prisoner, may be merc or pirate, irrelevant now." Shepard looked down at the body, clearly malnourished. _Probably not to him._ "Clearly part of krogan test to cure genopohage. Humans useful as test subjects. Genetically diverse. Enables exploration of treatment modalities."

"What can you tell about their experiments by looking at the body?"

"Position of tumours suggests deliberate mutation of adrenal, pineal glands. Modifying hormone level. Counterattack on glands hit by genophage. Clever." He sounded like he was considering more than the body.

"Do you think they're close to curing the genophage?" She ventured.

"Can't say. Need more data. Conceptually sound though. Genophage alters hormone levels. Could repair damage with hormone counterattack."

"Now we've got two reasons to shut this place down," Garrus said.

"Focus on Maelon. Too late to help the dead."

They descended the stairs and came to another locked door, which Tali was able to get open after only a few second of tinkering. They came out into a large room filled with various packing crates. On an upper level several krogan were gathering beneath a large fuel tank. The biggest of the krogan stepped forwards and glared down at her.

"I am the speaker for Clan Weyrloc off-worlders. You have shed our blood. By right you should be dead already. But Weyrloc Guld, the chief of chiefs, has ordered that you be given leave to flee, and spread the message of our coming."

"Krogan don't generally let people go." She studied him, trying to gauge his mood. "What's Clan Weyrloc have planned?"

"If you walk away now, you can tell your children that you saw Clan Weyrloc, before our blood pack conquered the stars. You think the Urdnot impressive. They're pitiful. Weyrloc Guld will destroy them. The salarian will cure the genophage, and Clan Weylroc will spread across the galaxy in a sea of blood."

"Appears they discovered Maelon's work, unfortunate." She had already pieced that together, but certain things still weren't adding up for her.

"It doesn't have to happen like this. I can understand wanting to cure the genophage."

"No human, you understand nothing. You have not seen the piles of children that never lived. The krogan were wronged, we will make it right and then we will have our revenge."

"Half the galaxy sees the krogan as victims. If you start a war you'll lose their support."

"We have the Blood Pack. And we have the salarian, when our clan numbers in the millions we will not need support." He was growing more animated now, waving his arms about. "When we cure the genophage, Weyrloc Guld will rule all krogan. The krogan rebellions will become the krogan empire. The surviving races will frighten their children with tales of what the Blood Pack did to the turians." Garrus shifted behind her and she knew he was preparing for the fight. "The asari will scream as the Citadel plunges into the sun." She couldn't help it. At the thought of Liara in pain her own adrenaline started to pump. "We will keep salarians as slaves and eat their eggs as a delicacy."

He looked back down at her. "If you lack the wisdom to flee then you will be the first of billions to be crushed beneath our might. For Weyrloc Guld, attack."

She sighed and drew her pistol, firing three shots into the fuel tank above their heads. A torrent of liquid fuel soaked every one of them before they could even get a shot off. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Mordin firing an incendiary charge from his pistol. The fuel exploded, coating the entire upper level in flames. Within the flame they could see writhing figures dropping to the floor, screaming as they burned alive.

When it had finally stopped, and the screams and fire had died down, they climbed the ramp to find a pile of blackened corpses, the armour and skin fused together.

"Sometimes I'm really glad I can turn off my suits olfactory filters." Shepard looked back to see Tali looking over her shoulder.

"Move out people."

They stepped over the bodies and into the next corridor, Garrus once more in the lead. She went to follow them but one of the bodies twitched a little. She walked over to it and saw the speaker from before, still barely alive and trying to crawl away. There was no way he could have known she was approaching, his eyes had been burned from their sockets and most of the skin had been peeled away from his skull. She drew her pistol and put two rounds into his head, shattering the bone where it had already been weakened by the fire.

As she joined the others Mordin indicated another route. "Labs likely through there. Can smell antiseptic, hints of dead flesh."

Garrus sighed dramatically. "Always hated fighting in hospitals. No fun"

Shepard frowned, still not quite over what she had just seen. "What is fun to fight through?"

He shrugged. "Gardens, electronic shops. Antique stores, but only if they're classy."

She grinned despite herself. Whatever else, Garrus always managed to make her smile. "Right, let's get this done right people. Into the labs."

**AN:- **I always wanted Tali on this mission. Then in Grunt's loyalty mission I have her get badly hurt. Just some excellent writing there. Duh-doy.

Although it is quite fun to have a really sick Tali insisting she's fine.

I quite like writing Mordin. It's difficult to really capture the cadence of his speech but I think I got it pretty well.

Seriously though, what do quarians do about vomiting and sneezing and all the rest with a full face helmet? There has to be some sort of filter. Or they just have such alien anatomy that they don't sneeze. But I think Tali talks about sneezing and vomiting at various points... Ah well, fun to write about anyway.

To me it always sounded like Mordin was beginning to have his doubts about Maelon from when he examines the first body. He has been noticeably critical of krogan scientists, and now he finds something which could be a genuine cure for the genophage. it couldn't have come from a krogan, so who could it have come from? I just don't think Mordin would completely rule out Maelon as a suspect.

That renegade interrupt is one of the most tempting in the whole game. It stays up for almost his entire speech, which is really damn long and really difficult to type up. But my Shepard is a paragon of course, so she always tries to defuse the situation rather than shoot it up.

Nothing to stop her blowing the thing _after _he's done speaking though.


	49. Chapter 48: Miscalculation

**AN:- **I love Mordin's character arc.

**Chapter Forty-Eight: Miscalculation**

The labs were a depressing sight. Old blood stains marred the surfaces, and in some places there were hints of fresher blood joining them. They went into a small room just right of the entrance to find a medical bed stained nearly black with blood. Mordin ignored that and went for the computer in the corner of the room.

"Active console. May contain useful data. One moment." He accessed the mainframe and started scrolling through files. "Genetic sequences, hormone mutagens still steady. Protein chains. Live tissue, clone tissue. Very thorough. Standard treatment vectors, avoiding scorched earth immune-suppressants to alter hormone levels. Good. Hate to see that."

She couldn't resist commenting. "Most people wouldn't be so casual about developing a sterility plague, Mordin." Garrus and Tali were both out in the corridor, hopefully not listening in.

"Not developing, modifying, much more difficult. Working within confines of the existing genophage, a hundred times the complexity. Errors unacceptable, could cause total sterility, malignant tumours. Could even reduce effectiveness. Worse than doing nothing. Have to keep krogan population stable, one in one thousand, perfect target, optimal growth, like gardening."

"Pretty it up however you like, you're talking about murdering millions."

"No, murdered no one. Altered fertility, prevented foetal development of nervous system. Have killed many Shepard, many methods: gunfire, knives, drugs, tech attacks, once with farming equipment, but not with medicine."

She sensed he was trying to distract her by mentioning farming equipment, but she wasn't going to be deterred. "How can you justify using the genophage Mordin. Look what happened to Tuchanka as a result."

"State of Tuchanka not due to genophage. Nuclear winter caused by krogan before salarians made first contact. Krogan choices: refused truce during Krogan Rebellions, expand after rachni wars, splinter after genophage. Genophage, not nuclear, no craters from virus, damage caused by krogan. Not salarians, not me."

Before she had thought he was certain of his actions, in the same way Miranda had been so arrogantly sure of what she did, but she was beginning to suspect that his defensiveness was precisely because he wasn't sure. So terrified of having used medicine to kill. "The effects on Tuchanka are still your responsibility," she pressed. "You upgraded the virus that kept them in barbarism."

He shook his head violently. "Krogan committed war crimes, refused to negotiate. Turian defeat not complete, krogan could have recovered, attacked again. Conventional war too risky, krogan forces too strong, genophage was only option. Krogan forced genophage. Us or them. No apologies for winning. Wouldn't have minded peaceful solution."

She honestly couldn't tell whether she had made a breakthrough or not. She suspected not. "We're not going to find Maelon staring at consoles, come on."

"I think I've got something Shepard," Garrus said as they rejoined him. He gestured into the next room, a more wide open space that held several beds, one of which was occupied. Mordin stepped up to it.

"Dead krogan female. Tumours indicate experimentation. No restraint marks. Volunteer. Sterile, Weyrloc female willing to risk procedures. Hoped for cure. Pointless. Pointless waste of life."

"I didn't expect you to be disturbed by the sight of dead krogan." She was feeling much less inclined to be gentle with Mordin, now having seen the results of his work.

"What? Why?" He seemed genuinely taken aback by her accusation. "Because of genophage work? No. Causative. Never experimented on live krogan, never killed with medicine. Her death not my work, only reaction to it." He seemed to have forgotten that this time Tali and Garrus could hear him. "Goal was to stabilise population, never wanted this. Can see it logically, but still. Unnecessary, foolish, waste of life. Hate to see it."

"I didn't think you'd had much direct contact with things like this. Did you come to Tuchanka after dropping your plague?"

"Yearly recon missions. Water, tissue samples. Ensure no mistakes. Superiors offered to carry it on, refused, need to see it in person. Need to look, need to see, accept it as necessary. See small picture. Remind myself why I run a clinic on Omega." He stepped back a little and held his hand over the body. "Rest young mother, find your gods, find someplace better."

As they left the room she pressed again, wondering quite what reaction she wanted from him. "I didn't expect spirituality from you Mordin."

"Genophage modification project altered millions of lives. Then saw results. Ego, humility, juxtaposition, frailty of life, size of universe. Explored religions after work completed. Different races, no answers, many questions."

"Sounds like you were trying to deal with your guilty conscience." Garrus' voice might have sounded neutral to most, but Shepard heard the disgust buried deep beneath the surface. "The doctor who killed millions."

"Modified genophage project great in scope, scientifically brilliant. But, ethically difficult, krogan reaction visceral, tragic. Not guilty. But responsible. Trained as doctor, genophage affects fertility, doesn't kill. Still. Caused this. Hard to see big picture behind pile of corpses."

Garrus shook his head and fell back, leaving her to take the conversation again. "Can you really just rationalise it all away? How do you justify this?"

Wheel of life. Popular salarian concept. Similar to human Hinduism in focus on reincarnation. Appealing to see life as endless. Fix mistakes in next life. Learn adapt, improve. Refuse to believe life ends here. Too wasteful. Have more to offer. Mistakes to fix. Cannot end here. Could do so much more."

"If you need this much soul searching to get over it. Maybe the genophage was wrong."

"Had to be done." There it was again, the phrase he kept hiding behind. "Rachni wars, Krogan Rebellion. All pointed to krogan aggression. So many simulations. Effects of krogan population increase, all pointed to war. Extinction. Genophage or genocide. Save galaxy from krogan. Save krogan from galaxy."

"You could have cured the genophage instead, brought hope to the krogan. They'd have rejoiced."

They stacked up on the next locked door while Tali got to work on it. "Assumed human reaction. Krogan stimulus, response different. Harsh environment, take chance to fight, flee. Would have caused chaos on Tuchanka, victor would have war economy, bloodthirsty army. Galactic expansion only logical outcome, more war. Genophage saved lives war would have ended."

"It doesn't look like you saved that woman Mordin."

"No. It doesn't. Worked with available data. Only option. No other possible. Doesn't matter."

_It does to the dead._ The door opened and they moved into the corridor. _And it does to me._

"Life sign reading." Mordin was all business again. "Through that door."

The door was unlocked, which immediately made Shepard nervous. She stood back while Garrus went first, covering him with her rifle. Inside there was a lone krogan, sitting curled up against a corner with his arms wrapped around his legs. He looked up as they came in and frowned.

"You killed the Blood Pack guards." He sounded young, not much older than Grunt.

"Not Blood Pack. Not member of Clan Weyrloc. Wrong clan markings.

The krogan cut Mordin off. "I'm an Urdnot scout. Weyrloc guards got me. Brought me here."

Shepard remembered the chief scout mentioning a kidnapped scout. "The chief scout told us to watch out for you. We've taken out the guards, get back to Urdnot."

"I can't. The Weyrloc did things to me. Drugs, injections." He scratched the crook of his elbow. "Said I was sacrificing for the good of all krogan. Experiments to cure the genophage." He shook his head. "Everything's blurry, I think have to stay."

He was clearly a wreck, and experimentation probably hadn't done him any good. "Mordin, can you get him back on his feet? Stims maybe? Something to bolster his immune system?"

"You don't understand. I'm not too sick to leave. I have to stay. They're curing the genophage, they're gonna make it all better. They have to keep doing the tests."

"Caution Shepard, patient unstable. Susceptible. Brainwashed."

"Why do you want them to keep doing the tests?"

"This is my fault. I got caught. Wasn't strong enough. Not good enough. This is the best I can do. This is all I can do. I'm not big enough to have a real shot with the females. I'll never have kids of my own. But if I help undo the genophage, then I mattered."

She knelt down in front of him and met his eyes, forcing him to look at her. "Millions of children will be born. Weyrloc children. They're gonna destroy the other clans."

"But, no. No, they said I was helping Urdnot."

Thankfully he was susceptible, and although she felt sick for doing it she could use it to her advantage. "If you wanna help you need to get back there. But it would take a real badass to make it back to camp while injured."

He growled a little, low in his chest. "I can do it."

"You? I said a badass not some scout whining like a quarian with a tummy ache."

"I'm standing right here." Shepard glanced back to see Tali leaning against the door holding her stomach.

"I can do it." He staggered to his feet, Shepard following him. "I'm up. And I'm going to the female camp."

"Damn right you are. Get back there and show them what you're worth. Go, go!"

He ran past them with a roar, heading back to the labs.

"I can't believe that worked," Tali said.

"There's no pep talk like a military pep talk," Garrus replied.

"Come on people, let's get moving."

As they made their way to the next door they could see Garrus dropped back to talk to her. "Don't suppose you know how far away he could be?"

"EDI's sensors can't get through the walls. Too thick. Also we can't communicate with her."

"I've always been a fan of going in blind."

Tali opened the next door and immediately ducked for cover as a hail of bullets came through it. Shepard's shields sparked and popped as she dropped to the floor and hauled her rifle to ready position. Through the doorway she could see a dozen krogan massing, all of them levelling assault weapons at the door. She took a bead and shot one of them through the visor, giving them some breathing room as the others checked their comrade.

Beyond the door were two bridges spanning a gap between two wings of the hospital. It was open from above and the krogan had dragged in packing crates to act as cover for themselves. The only cover on their side was the doorframe and a few flimsy looking barriers meant to keep people from falling off the edge.

She put her eye to the scope again and checked one of the crates a krogan was hiding behind. It was stamped with the universal symbol for highly pressurised explosive. Quite what that was doing in a hospital she had no idea, but if the containers were still stocked it would give them a distinct advantage.

"Mordin, incendiary rounds on those crates. Light 'em up."

He nodded and stepped out, launching the charge before ducking back again. She heard the explosive _whump_ of a crate going up, and a second later the cries of the krogan caught in the blast. She loaded her own charge, standing and launching it into the haze of smoke and bullets. Another crate exploded, driving the krogan out of their cover and onto the bridges.

From there it was easy, the same as any number of battles they had already had. The bridge offered no protection, and an easy bottleneck. As the bodies started dropping they prevented the krogan behind from making any progress until only three remained. One was wearing different armour to the others, and she figured he had to be the clan chief. "We must be close," she said to Garrus. "The leader's come out to fight."

"You want him?"

"I'll take the bodyguards."

"My thanks." He set his rifle to his eye, then immediately dropped it. "Get down!"

Years of military instinct kicked in and she dropped flat at once, throwing her arms over her head for good measure. Something whistled overhead, close enough that she felt the jetwash tug at her skin. An instant later the rocket exploded, taking out a chunk of wall and spraying them all with shrapnel.

She got to her hands and knees, coughing against the dust. "Garrus?"

"On it."

The sniper rifle cracked and she heard a bellow from the bridge. "Target?"

"Alive but angry. I took away his toy."

"What's he doing?"

"Target retreating. Taking cover deeper in."

Shepard bit back a curse. Storming bridges had never been her favourite activity. "Garrus, you and I go first, get to our end of the bridge and find any cover you can. Mordin, follow Garrus after a count of ten. Tali, follow me. She commando-crawled up to the doorway to see the two remaining krogan laying down covering fire. "Give us some covering fire while we go."

Tali nodded and drew her pistol. Shepard switched to her submachine gun and looked back to see Garrus right behind her, assault rifle in hand and determined look in place.

"On my mark. Three, two, one, mark!"

They exploded from cover; Mordin's submachine gun opening up behind them followed a second later by Tali's pistol. Shepard fired blind as she ran, hearing the heavier drone of Garrus' assault rifle right by her ear.

She slid into cover on the nearest side of the bridge and immediately added her more accurate fire to the volley while Garrus crossed the short distance to the far side. He hunkered down and she triggered their comms. "Make for the second bridge. Stop the leader or flank these guys, whichever comes first."

"Understood Shepard."

At that moment Tali and Mordin broke cover and they turned back to the fight, keeping the krogan pinned down as best they could. Tali slid next to her while Mordin made the more dangerous crossing. His shield nearly overloaded but he made it down just in time. Garrus started to lead him down to the second bridge, keeping low behind the cover of the barriers.

"What next Shepard?" Tali asked, reloading her pistol.

Shepard drew her rifle again. "Give me some cover, but really inaccurate. Like your sights are off or you've been hit or something."

"Got it."

She stuck her pistol over the top and loosed a few shots that went hopelessly wild. Almost at once Shepard heard predatory growls. She had hoped the remaining krogan might be young and inexperienced and it had paid off. The thought of their prey being wounded had spurred them to reckless action. She waited until she heard the tromp of their boots on steel and rolled out.

Her AM round caught the lead krogan in the chest and dropped him immediately. Before she could reload the second one ran back for cover but Tali already had him covered, popping out and scoring five direct hits on his shield, overloading it. He changed direction and sprinted for a door on the far side of the room, but there was a roar of machine gun fire and he dropped out of sight, twitching as he went down.

Shepard reloaded and marched across the bridge, taking a moment to give the mercy-shot to the krogan as she passed him. They met on the other side and Garrus gave her the all-clear sign.

"The leader?"

"In the next room. Maybe an escape route?"

"Or he's with our kidnapped scientist. Come on."

As Tali worked on the door the others checked their ammo. "We get through, no chances. He draws, he charges, he does anything other than get on the floor with his hands up and we drop him, understood?"

"Understood Shepard."

The door opened to reveal a large room with a huge bank of computers at the far end. The krogan leader was shouting something at a slight figure working at the monitors, but as he heard the door open he turned to them and charged, drawing his shotgun on the run.

The thunder of guns was ear-splitting in the confined space. The charge turned into a stagger which ended in a bloody heap on the floor nearly six feet away from them. Before Shepard could issue another order Mordin had marched in, heading right for the computers.

"Maleon. Alive, unharmed. No signs of restraint no evidence of torture. Don't understand."

Maelon didn't even look up from his work. "For such a smart man Professor, you always had trouble seeing evidence that disagreed with your preconceptions. How long will it take you to admit that I'm here because I wish to be here?"

Shepard followed Mordin. "Maybe the Weyrloc brainwashed him or drugged him to keep him under control." She didn't believe it for a moment, but Mordin seemed to have reached the same conclusion as her.

"Unlikely. Pupils normal. Body language consistent with standard metabolic state."

"Please Professor." Maelon finally turned round and he didn't look anything but rational to her. "You wrote the paper on this. Forced behaviour modification always results in mental degradation. Whether from Reaper indoctrination or drugs, subjects always lose higher cognitive function."

"Not brainwashed or conditioned. Need Maelon at peak capacity for work. Must be alternate source of coercion."

Shepard shook her head. "He wasn't kidnapped. He came here voluntarily to cure the genophage."

"Impossible. Whole team agreed project necessary."

"How was I supposed to disagree with the great Doctor Solus? I was your student. I looked up to you."

"Experiments performed here. Live subjects, prisoners, torture! Executions. Your doing?"

"We've already got the blood of millions on our hands doctor. If it takes a bit more to put things right I can deal with that."

"You honestly think the experiments you did here are justified?" She already knew the answer. Sadly she had met too many of his type before.

"We committed cultural genocide, nothing I ever do will ever be justified. The experiments are monstrous, because I was taught to be a monster."

"Never taught you this Maelon." Shepard wondered if Mordin could see the deeper meaning behind Maelon's words, or if he wanted to.

"So your hands are clean? What does it matter if the ground is stained with the blood of millions? You taught me that the end justified the means. I will undo what we did Professor. The only way I know how."

"If genophage cured, krogan expansion inevitable. Your responsibility."

"We justified this atrocity by saying the krogan would cause havoc and war if their population recovered. But look at the galaxy. Bataraian attacks in the traverse, geth attacks in the Citadel. Is this a more peaceful universe?" He waved a hand at Shepard. "The assault on your Eden Prime might never have happened if we had let the krogan recover. We'll never know."

No matter her other feelings on the matter, his argument seemed flimsy at best. "How would a krogan population explosion have done anything to stop Saren and the geth?"

"An increased krogan population would have forced the council to take steps. Likely involving colony rights in the traverse. The turian fleets would be vigilant for any military activity in the area. They might have stopped the geth at Eden Prime." _Or the krogan expansion would have rendered human expansion impossible. Hard to stay unbiased in the face of that._

"Supposition, impossible to be certain."

"Don't you see? We tried to play god and we failed. We only made things worse. And I'm going to fix it."

"Genophage non-lethal. Fertility rates affected. No more."

"Krogans fight over fertile females. They become mercenaries, who pirate because they see no alternative. They would be thriving in a cultural renaissance now had we not decided that this was what they deserved."

"Inaccurate. Krogan population resulted in war. Simulations were clear."

"Why work with Clan Weyrloc," she asked. "And how did you access the genophage data?"

"The data was easy to obtain. We all still had clearance, we were heroes. All I had to do was ask. As for the Weryloc, they were the only clan with both the resources and the commitment."

"Urdnot has a larger camp than Weyrloc, why not use them?"

"Urdnot Wrex is too soft, he wasn't willing to do the experiments I needed." She felt a weight lift from her heart. Maelon had come to Wrex, and her friend had refused. "It was Urdnot's loss and Weyrloc's gain. Their clan will be the first to recover from the crime we committed."

She turned to Mordin. "He clearly doesn't need rescuing. What do you want to do?"

Mordin was staring at the ground, clearly thinking hard. "Have to end this."

"You can't face the truth can you? Can't admit that your brilliant mind led you to commit an atrocity."

Mordin moved with surprising speed, grabbing Maelon by the collar and slamming him against the screens, drawing a pistol with his other hand and pushing it under Maelon's chin.

"Unacceptable experiments. Unacceptable goals. Won't change. No choice. Have to kill you."

"Wait." She had no idea how they could hope to truly resolve the situation, but she did know she wasn't going to watch any more cold-blooded killings. "You don't need to do this Mordin, you're not a murderer."

It seemed to get through. "No. Not a murderer." He folded down the pistol, but kept his grip on Maelon's shirt. "Thank you Shepard." He turned to Maelon. "Finished Maelon. Get out. No weyrloc left. Project over."

"What if he talks to more krogan," Garrus said. "Tells the public about the modified genophage project?"

"Special Tasks Group good at covering up facts. No proof. Weyrloc willingness to work with salarian unusual. Other krogan will kill him."

"He could start his research again," Tali pointed out.

"No. Locking this unit. Special Tasks Group can cut access to all data." He smiled bitterly. "Could start from scratch. Decades of research though. Didn't teach you everything I knew."

He finally let Maelon go. Shepard stepped forwards to take over as Mordin inspected the computer. "You heard the Professor. Get out before he changes his mind."

"Where am I supposed to go Professor?"

"Don't care. Try Omega, can always use another clinic."

"The krogan didn't deserve what we did to them." Maelon was pleading now, but Mordin didn't look away from the computer. "Professor, the genophage needs to end."

"Not like this. Apologies Commander. Misunderstood mission parameters. No kidnapping. My mistake. Thank you." Maelon ran from the room, leaving them alone with the enormous computer, data flashing across it, hormone levels, DNA strands. Everything the genophage needed. Mordin sighed. "Should have killed him. Wanted to, easier than listening. Easier for him too experiments indicate how far he's fallen. Expected it from krogan, not one of mine."

"Maybe you'll remember that the next time you discuss the ethics of the genophage."

"Yes. So many variables, stress responses. Impossible to truly predict. Much to think about. Maelon's research. Only loose end. Could destroy it. Closure, security. Still valuable though."

All she could think about was the krogan camp, the battered scout, Uvenk and his thugs. "If you think it could be useful, why not hang onto it?"

"Worked for years to create modified genophage. Should destroy this. Maelson's work could cure genophage. Don't know. Effects on krogan, effects on galaxy, too many variables. Too many variables."

"You regret what the krogan have become. You see the horror of what they did here, but you see the loss too."

"Wasted potential."

"More than that. They don't deserve this Mordin. Save the data."

"Point taken Shepard. Capturing data. Wiping local copy. Still years away from cure, but closer than starting from scratch." The computer screen went blank and Mordin removed his OSD. "Done, ready to go. Ready to be off Tuchanka. Anywhere else. Somewhere sunny."

Shepard nodded, turning to the others. "Let's get out of here."

**AN:- **Probably my favourite line in the whole game is Tali's indignant 'I'm standing right here,' when you tell the krogan off. Having her literally sick with a tummy-ache makes it even funnier to me.

I was watching Saving Private Ryan recently. Probably some of that is going to start leaking into the story.

Not a great deal else to say. I gave some of Shepard's dialogue to Garrus and Mordin at the end because my Shepard has been so virulently anti-genophage it made no sense to have her giving some of the arguments in favour of it. Otherwise just a very straight-forward chapter for once.


	50. Chapter 49: Recuperation

**AN:- **Super short chapter this one. Mostly just to set up the next one.

**Chapter Forty-Nine: Recuperation**

Tali made it back to the camp, but not much further. She was snoring soundly by the time they pulled into the vehicle pool. Mordin had been silent the entire trip back, and Garrus had taken over driving duties. It wasn't a particularly friendly atmosphere, but then there wasn't any reason to be cheerful.

Chakwas met them at the vehicle pool, giving Shepard another of her patented stern looks.

"Don't blame me for this one doc, she insisted."

"She should be fine, just overexerted herself." Chakwas stepped onto the shuttle. "I should be able to convince some of the krogan to help me get her onto the shuttle."

"Success then?"

"I've updated most of their medical systems. It's not the most up to date equipment available, but it's better than what they had. And with the female camp and new fertility drugs and procedures Wrex may even be able to make this crazy idea of his work."

"A glowing endorsement from you, I'm surprised?"

"Wrex has done a lot to improve the lot of his people. I'm glad to see at least one of the old crew isn't throwing themselves right back into danger."

"I'm almost afraid to ask him for help in the future."

"I believe he would still come."

"So do I. That's what worries me."

"You inspire remarkable loyalty in your crew mates Commander. You might want to think about that every once in a while."

"I think about it every day."

"Not in the way the weight rests on your shoulders. Perhaps think about the ways they help you carry the weight."

"I… thank you doctor."

"My door is always open Commander."

"Of course doctor."

The krogan had arrived to help carry Tali to the shuttle, and Shepard stepped aside to let them work. Mordin was standing by the side of the tank, looking out over the camp.

"You ready to leave Doctor."

"Yes. Time to move on. New challenges, new projects. Collectors still major concern."

"Don't forget this Mordin."

"Understood Shepard. Big picture. Small picture. Understand both."

Wrex was waiting nearby as she turned round, glaring at Mordin. She walked over and managed a smile.

"It has been good to see you again, old friend."

"And you."

"You are still you, and you still have your talent for finding interesting companions." He put a heavy hand on her shoulder. "Keep your instincts sharp."

She nodded. "You as well.

He stepped back. "Shepard."

"Wrex."

/|\

"Hello Kelly."

"Hi Shepard."

"You sound a little bit more cheerful."

"I'm just glad we're back on track. And it's good to see Grunt doing better. He worried me a little bit there."

"Really? I didn't think you'd spent much time with him."

"Well not much. But he's so young. When you talk to him you really realise he's just a teenager."

"And no more problems with anyone?"

"No. Definitely not."

"Good." Miranda had tacked down the offender and they had left him behind on the Citadel. The briefings with the crew had then been held while Shepard was down on Tuchanka. She trusted that Miranda had carried out her orders properly, and it was good to see Kelly perking up again.

"Was there anything else you needed Commander?"

"Just the usual."

"You have quite a few messages piling up, but other than that nothing major."

"Carry on."

Instead of facing her inbox she went through the research lab, where Mordin was hard at work again.

"Still hard to believe Maelon betrayed me," he said as she entered. "Betrayed my work. Disgusted by his actions. Proud of his nerve though. Always thought he lacked backbone. Hope he finds something new. Better goal better purpose. Fewer torture tests."

The change in his demeanour was quite shocking to her. "You're really at peace with what happened?"

"Yes of course. Can't change what happened. Life continues, back to mission, back to work. Become like Maelon otherwise. Salarian emotional processing faster than other species. Has to be, short lived culture, can't spend time reminiscing."

She had no idea whether that was true or not. In a human she would have called his behaviour intense denial. "So you really don't feel bad at all about what happened on Tuchanka?"

"Yes, correct. Now at least, greatly distressed at the time. Stages of grief. Loss, anger, rationalisation. Dealt with it, most issues settled on Tuchanka, some on shuttle back to Normandy."

She let him work for a moment, then tried again. "Maelon didn't seem like he processed his emotional response. He was obsessed with the genophage."

"True. Didn't mean to imply that salarians were healthier emotionally. Can still make wrong choices, bad decisions from guilt, anger. Maelon couldn't deal with feelings. Made decision, executed. Probably before I left for Omega. Wish I'd seen it. Salarians still feel. Just, resolve it quickly. Explains lack of marriage, can't sustain courtship emotions. Or perhaps based on reproduction. Unsure.

She decided she wasn't going to get any more from him. Whether he really had dealt with his issues or was just in denial she wouldn't break through it in a single conversation. "What about Maelon's data on the genophage? His attempts at a cure."

"What about it? Have it over there somewhere, not dealing with it now, need to focus on Collectors. Not important now. Regardless, appreciate you helping me back on Tuchanka. Should get back to work, wasted enough time, lots to do, talk later?"

"Of course."

She left him working, feeling a little uncomfortable about it. But there was nothing she could do about it for now. There were much more pressing concerns on her crew anyway. She went via the armoury first to find Grunt and Jacob in there together, admiring the shotgun Grunt had been given.

"M-300 Claymore. Puts out a two inch slug or an eight pellet burst that can overpower an YMIR mech shield in one shot."

"It has weight," Grunt said. "I cannot bend or break it."

"No you couldn't." Jacob seemed to be having trouble hefting it. "This thing would break my arm if I even tried to fire it. You've gotta show me how it works sometime."

"I would be happy to display this thing's might."

"Uh, guys?"

They turned, hands still on the weapon and looking sheepish.

"Not that I mind the two of you comparing the size of your shotguns but could you maybe not put holes in my hull?"

"Heh, yes Commander."

"There's a target range suited to an anti-material rifle in the hanger bay. You can use that."

Grunt grinned and snatched the gun. "Let us go now Taylor. Bring your finest and biggest guns."

"Uh, Commander?"

She rolled her eyes. "Approved."

"Thanks." He grabbed a duffle bag that clanked as he ran out the door.

She shook her head. "Boys," she said to the empty room. Then again, over on the desk was the new compensator he had been building for the Widow. She picked it up and tested the weight, smiling appreciatively at the way it fit into her…

Maybe Liara would be available for a short visit at some point.

/|\

"Hello Shepard."

"Tali, good to see you up and about again."

"I can't breathe through my nose."

"Plenty of rest and drink lots of fluids." Shepard put her fork down. "Oh god I'm my mother."

"What?"

"That's what my mother always used to say to me when I was sick."

"Well I am not going to be sick for much longer. I have enough antibiotics in me to put down a rachni."

"Our little trooper," Shepard said with a grin, then dropped her fork again. "What is wrong with me?"

"I think it's cute," Jack said, sauntering round from the elevator.

"You do?"

"Yeah." She had a pistol in her hand which she slapped down on the table. "I hate cute."

"Of course you do."

Jack grinned and opened up the gun, then took a screwdriver from her belt and started to take the weapon apart. Tali sat down near Shepard's end of the table.

"So this is pleasant."

"Hey, I don't mind this place when it's quiet. Just when everyone's talking and being friendly I hate it." The gun disassembled she started to run a cloth over it.

"Do you have to do that here?" Tali asked as she watched Jack work.

"No."

Shepard grinned and kept on eating. The change in Jack over the past week had been startling, to the point where actually seeing her out of the engineering nook was no longer cause for alarm. Now all they had to do was solve the mysterious string of petty thefts the crew were reporting and everything would be fine.

Which was of course the moment Jack picked up the slide of her pistol and spat into it.

Tali looked up in exasperation ."Could you not do that while we're… ever?"

Jack looked her straight in the faceplate and spat again. Shepard hid her smile behind a mound of rice.

"Ah, captain, glad I caught you."

"Ken, good to see you."

"I've got the perfect date for our little poker night."

"It's soon isn't it?"

"It's tomorrow." He grinned at her. "I could not be more excited about this right now."

"What exactly do you think is going to happen at this poker game?"

"Well we're gonna play poker, maybe get drunk. It's gonna be a great night."

"As long as you're not expecting anything more."

"What are you insinuating?"

"Nothing at all Ken. Just remember to go easy alright? Tali's never played before and neither has Garrus, and I am so rusty I can barely even remember the rules."

"All in good fun Commander, all in good fun."

**AN:-**Aw yeah, the long awaited poker night.

Obviously there is some actual serious stuff in here. Shepard hasn't been seeing Chakwas about her insomnia or any of the rest of her varied problems and Chakwas is worried. but with the balance of power changing in the crew who knows what happens next?

I do obviously. I'm the writer.

I don't think I included a nod to the whole 'Shepard.' 'Wrex.' thing from ME1. So here's my nod to it. Plus it just felt really right to leave it there.

Wrapping up a few plot points. Kelly's bounced back, Mordin is Mordin and Jacob and Grunt fanboying over guns was really fun to write. They do subscribe to many of the same, er, literature after all.

And of course more with Jack, who I'm starting to really enjoy. A bit of the banter between her and Tali was obviously lifted from Firefly, between Jayne and Simon. I just love the idea of Jack being like this brash rude older or younger sibling that no one quite knows what to do with her.

Alright I'll stop stalling on this poker thing.


	51. Chapter 50: Poker Night

**AN:- **Or, a long awaited party. This chapter contains _**a lot**_ more hard swearing than previous chapters, so be warned.

**Chapter Fifty: Poker Night**

"So that's another fifty credits to me."

"I, buh."

"Garrus, your deal. Let's see 'em."

"You."

"Come on Ken, step your game up."

"'Go easy.' I can't believe I fell for that one."

Tali tapped the peak of the semi-transparent green visor she had attached to her helmet. "I am sorry Ken, but you really need to work on your poker face."

The engineer subsided a little in his chair, grumbling about 'poker face, wearin' a mask!' Shepard grinned as she added some chips to her pile.

"I thought you said you couldn't play Garrus," Jacob said, taking another long pull on his beer.

"I may have exaggerated a little. Back when I was in Vice I was part of a special task group that had to take down a human betting ring. They were targeting aliens who didn't know how to play the human games. We had to learn all of them, crack teams of turians who could play poker, blackjack, cheat at dice. All to trap these guys."

"So our friendly sniper's a ringer. What about you Shep? You said your skills were rusty."

"Ken you need to learn to spot a bluff." Shepard accepted her cards and checked them. In deference to the supposed inexperience they were playing five card draw, but the only person it really seemed to be helping was Jacob, who was the worst of them at cards.

They were gathered around a table in the Port Observation lounge, and in deference to the proper atmosphere Shepard had ordered the lights turned down as low as they would go. Ken had had a green cloth for them to spread on the table to give it the proper feel, and what with the bar close at hand and Kasumi's various oddities it felt all in all like the start of a very good night.

She checked her cards again. King high with a pair of twos. Not a great hand, but serviceable. She discarded the five and seven and received two more from Garrus, who had been wearing the same half smile the whole night. Her own poker face was pretty solid, and of course Tali had the clear advantage in that department. However she also had the unfortunate tendency to sit up a little straighter when her hand was good. Shepard's position was strong enough she didn't need to take advantage of it yet, but she was keeping it in mind.

Of the rest Gabby was proving surprisingly competent, if a little eager to fold when things got bad instead of stringing it along. Ken was, as she had expected, an all or nothing player. He made big bets that paid off well when he won, but was definitely losing more than he could afford long term. Jacob was, as with everything else, conservative, not making the big bets but also not folding easily. And of course Jack was unpredictable in every way. She would lose it all on a high card draw, then win back more than she'd lost with a pair of twos and a bluff.

Shepard knew her own style leaned to the reckless sometimes, and she had built up a decent lead from her starting hundred credits. She figured her main competition to be Garrus, with Jack as a possible wild card.

"Alright ante up my friends, I'm in for five."

Jacob took another drink. "I'll see you. And raise you ten."

"Ugh, my grandmother wouldn't bet ten. Raise you thirty." Jack took a swig of her own booze, which Shepard was quite sure had not been part of the Normandy's original stock.

"You bet big Jack," Tali said. "It's gonna cost you."

"Oh look at the little princess talkin' tough. Let's see you put some more in the pot."

"I'm in," Ken chucked some chips in.

Gabby considered her cards, then the table. "I fold."

"You do that a lot Miss Daniels."

"Never made sense throwing good money after bad Garrus."

"A wise policy."

Everyone else threw chips in, including Shepard. "Alright, show what you got."

They were playing with an actual deck, which was in her opinion much better than with a holo-deck. Joker had supplied the cards, and had said he might consider coming down later. As she tossed her hand down she took a sip of her own drink, which was refreshingly fruity and light. She was definitely planning on joining in with the heavier drinking later, but for now she was content to watch the others down their spirits and wince at the harsh tastes.

Jacob's straight flush took the hand easily and the cards passed round to him to deal. He grinned as he took them, the first real show of emotion he'd allowed himself. "I think this is going to be a very good night for me."

"Ah shut up and deal." Shepard was hoping that Ken's grumbling was still good-natured; it would be a shame for things to turn so sour when he had put so much effort in.

Her hand was awful, and all she held onto was the ten, but she got nothing out of the next four either and was forced to fold. Money changed hands a dozen times, but Tali quickly emerged as the star player of the night, and Shepard realised her earlier twitches and tells had been deliberate to lull them into a false sense of security. She cleaned up three hands in a row with three of a kind, a straight, and a Royal Flush that earned her a round of applause from the table.

Shepard's total grew to an even three hundred as Jacob was nearly forced out. He went all in and Ken's pile suddenly deflated against his four of a kind.

As the serious game playing began to wind down they started to share some stories. Tali was keen to press Garrus on his C-Sec service.

"I didn't know you worked with the Vice department."

"Well you have to serve with pretty much every department in C-Sec before they bring you up to the big leagues. I ran with Vice for nearly six months before I got promoted."

"Any good stories?"

"Well as you can imagine I spent most of my days dealing with prostitution, drugs, and illegal gambling rings. There are some pretty powerful old school mob bosses on the Citadel. A lot of them made the shift up to the Presidium as well." He chuckled. "I remember this one guy. He was a real cliché. A salarian who watched a few too many old earth movies. He talked fast and made a lot of money doing it. I got to meet him once, before we arrested him. Every damn word he said was solid gold."

"Like what?"

"Well he really laid into my superior." Garrus leaned forwards and started to move his hands jerkily in front of him, hunching a little and adopting a weird accent. "Joo wanna fuck wid me? Joo really wanna fuck wid me? Joo know who I yam? Ah'm Mahik Fuckin' Fepon. Joo don' fuck wid me, ah fuck joo."

Shepard grinned. "He sounds like a fun guy."

"Oh he got nailed so hard though. Turned out he had overextended himself, supplying red sand in the wrong territory. The rival bosses were more than willing to give us everything we needed. He got dragged past the bullpen, and he was still going. 'I'm Mahik Fepon joo lousy mudderfuckin' fucks. I run dis fuckin' tahn."

Jacob was grinning as well now. "Sounds like he wanted to be Steve Buscemi."

"Oh he wanted to be somebody. He never got too far up the ranks though."

"I suppose you must have met a lot of people like him back in the day Jack?" Tali said, her tone sarcastic as it could be.

"Ooh, princess got claws." Jack downed the last of her drink and went to get another one. "Yeah I got stories, stories that'd make you piss that fancy suit of armour."

"Just try me."

"Alright kitty." Jack slouched back into her chair. "How about we start with a little vandalism?"

"That seems a little tame for you."

"Well y'see, that's what the hanar call it when you crash a space station into one of their moons."

Ken spat whiskey over the table. "What?"

Jack smirked. "It was a turian station. Put there to keep watch over the hanar." She took a shot. "I didn't even know what the fuck it was though. I was crashing there because some cops were on my ass and I needed a place to hide out. So of course I pick one of the most heavily defended stations in the whole fucking sector."

Garrus leaned back and folded his arms. "Can't have been easy taking on that many turians. I should know."

"It wasn't the turians. It was how many of them I had to fight. I made my way to the control room and there was a hanar running things. I didn't even think it was important but those things are pretty damn strong when they want to be. So I'm popping the turians when suddenly this thing gets me from behind and starts choking the life out of me. I was out of heat sinks and this thing's got me so tight round the neck I can't even squeak."

"Hanar have pretty powerful tentacles. You should see them move in water."

"Wasn't looking for a science lesson. Anyway I'm lying there, tentacles round my neck like I'm in some fucked up porno or something, and all I'm thinking is: 'This would be a pretty fucking stupid way to die.' So I do the only thing I can think. I grab the nearest thing I can see with my biotics and I squash the jellyfish into the bulkhead."

"And let me guess," Jacob cut in. "You shouldn't have squashed it with what you squashed it with?"

"Bingo, point for the soldier. Whatever I smashed it with the emergency landing protocol activated and we took a nose dive into the moon. I got out in the confusion, stole a turian shuttle and blasted out of there while they were still clearing the wreckage."

Tali was nodding. "That's pretty good I suppose. Not as good as taking on the Shadow Broker when you're only a teenager, but still."

"Wait no shit; you took on the Shadow Broker?"

"I had just left the Fleet for my Pilgrimage. We were investigating some geth activity and we found a recording of Saren and Matriarch Benezia talking about the return of the Reapers. I managed to get to the Citadel, with a bullet-wound for my trouble, and a doctor there patched me up. Then Barla Von put me in touch with the Shadow Broker, but of course it was all a set up."

"So it wasn't really the Shadow Broker? Doesn't count then."

"Well that was when I met Shepard and later that year helped take down a Reaper. Good enough?"

"Doesn't count, you did it with Shepard."

Shepard looked up, having mostly tuned the conversation out in favour of studying her cards. "Wait, why do I make it not count?"

Jack shrugged. "I dunno. You're Commander fuckin' Shepard. That's just how these things work."

"Now there's a new slogan for our t-shirts," Garrus said. "Member of the Commander fuckin' Shepard club."

Jacob looked confused. "Wait, t-shirts?"

"Oh yeah, apparently we're all members of Shepard's club now, not TIM's."

"TIM?"

"The Illusive Man," Tali, Shepard and Jack chorused. "T-I-M. TIM."

"Let me guess," Jacob said. "It's Joker's thing."

"Who else?"

They dealt another hand, and this time Shepard had four out of five for a straight. She decided to risk it and was rewarded when she got a King-High straight, taking the pot and knocking Ken right out of the game.

"Fuckin' hell," he said happily as he went to the bar. "That'll teach me to play with you Special Forces lot."

"Get in on the next round, I think this one's nearly done."

Jacob raised an eyebrow. "We're gonna keep this rolling?"

"No reason to quit now, unless you're scared?"

He shoved a pile of chips into the middle, but his calm expression never wavered. "Raise you fifty."

Half an hour later there were only three players left, Shepard, Tali and Jack, all of whom sitting on over two hundred credits. The rest were busy getting drunk and the amounts hadn't shifted much for several hands. "How about we call this one?" Shepard said. "Cash out and start up again?"

"I'm game," Jack said. "Like I said, strip's my game."

"I'm happy with my giant pile of credits," Tali said. "Just as long as everyone else is."

"We get it you bionic freak, you're amazing."

"I just wanted to hear you say it Jack."

They collected their remaining chips and calculated the totals, feeding the data to EDI, who had agreed to act as their impartial accountant during the game, making any transfers necessary. Since they didn't have enough chips to simply hold on to them for the next game it had been decided to shift funds around in between.

They paused for a round of drinks from the bar. Ken was on his way to well and truly drunk, and Gabby wasn't far behind him. Garrus and Jacob were matching drink for drink, but neither going overboard, which left Shepard, Tali and Jack at the furthest end.

"So this is pretty uncomfortable," Shepard said, going for blunt.

Jack snorted. "Wouldn't be if you'd just let your damn hair down for once."

"I don't think I have ever seen Shepard's hair down."

"It's not that amazing a request." Without thinking she reached up and undid the simple bun her hair had been tied into, shaking it a few times to let it out. "See?" She looked up and realised everyone was staring at her. "Oh."

There was dead silence in the room as everyone looked at her. Ken's mouth had actually fallen open and Jack was even blushing a little. Shepard shifted nervously and picked up her drink.

"Holy crap," Ken said into the silence.

"What?"

"You're beautiful," Gabby said.

"Seriously guys I let my hair down, what's the big deal." She walked back to the table and sat down. "Now are we gonna stand around and stare all night or are we gonna play some poker?"

At that moment the door cycled open and Miranda marched in. "So what's this?" She asked in her most imperious, icy tone.

Ken had gone to ramrod attention. "Uh, it's the poker game, Ms Lawson. I thought it had been approved."

She shook her head. "I'm shocked, _shocked_, to find that gambling is going on in here!" She marched over to the table and sat. "Deal me in."

Shepard ginned and grabbed the deck of cards, shuffling it. "Aces high, five card draw; let's call it fifty if you want in this time."

She looked over to see Miranda staring at her like she'd never seen her before. "Oh for god's sake I let my hair down and immediately everyone goes insane?"

"You'll have to forgive me Shepard, the last time I saw your hair down you were still technically dead."

"Fine, my hair is down and apparently it looks good that way. Maybe if I go into battle like this Harbinger will be so distracted he can't fight now can we please play some poker?"

/|\

Miranda turned out to be terrible at poker. Absolutely awful. But she did at least have some drinks and told them all the story of how she had earned operative status. It had involved a lot more hot tubs than Shepard would have thought was necessary, but then it had been carried out on Bekenstein after all.

The party continued until very late, and when Miranda tried to excuse herself to write some reports Shepard was surprised to see Tali asking her to stay and keep playing. Eventually it reached the last few hours before they had to return to their duties, and Shepard was looking forward to the hangovers her crew would endure, given that her own enhanced body seemed to have all but eliminated the worst of the symptoms for her.

Ken leaned forwards and collected the cards from the table. "Alright, looks like the final hand here."

"I'm gonna say this for the last time, "Jack said. "We all know why we're here. We all know Shepard's done it before, and I've done it before, and I bet even the cheerleader's done it before."

"What?"

"We're drunk, we're happy for once. Last hand, strip."

Shepard shook her head. "I can't believe I'm about to say this Jack, but I'm in."

/|\

"Commander."

"Operative Lawson."

"About last night."

"I really don't think we need to discuss what happened. In fact I don't remember anything happening at all. With anyone. In any configuration."

"That is my recollection as well. The tapes seem to have been wiped by a virus and I really don't think I can remember the events in enough detail to write a report for the Illusive Man."

"I think that's probably for the best."

"So."

"So."

"It would be really helpful if you could maybe make yourself scarce for a day or too, I've already asked Jack and she agreed it was for the best."

"Oh you spoke to Jack?" Miranda sighed. "Thank you."

"No problem."

"So."

"So."

**AN:-**Here's where things get a little bit complicated canon-wise.

This happened, the entire chapter as represented here happened exactly as I have written it, including that they finish with a round of strip poker, and that the next morning Miranda and Shepard have an awkward conversation about what exactly happened.

On my Archive of Our Own account, which is linked to on my profile, there will soon be a new story called 'Poker Night' which will follow on from this chapter. But it is not exactly canon to this story. If you want to read it and believe that it's canon for this story you can, or you can not read it and lose nothing from the experience. Or you can read it and believe it is some sort of Alternate Universe. Dealer's Choice.

There was a point to this beyond just having fun. There's some character stuff here, including some developments between Tali and Jack which I didn't expect but which honestly felt natural as I was writing them. I'd just imagine that because they spend so much time in engineering that they are forced to interact every so often, and kind of rub each other the wrong way, but in a friendly antagonism rather than real hatred.

Mahik F***in' Fepon, salarian and wannabe sicilian mobster. I kinda based him off every character Joe Pesci's every played plus a bit of Al Pacino in Scarface. It just seemed to fit that the fast talking salarians would be the fast talking ultra-swearing mobster types.

Jack calling Tali 'Kitty' kinda comes from back in the day in the Mass Effect fandom, where loads of people had the theory that the quarians would be really catlike behind their masks. And obviously she's actually telling a personal story. Character Development!

Shepard and the hair letting down. I dunno this kinda comes from my personal feelings regarding people Shepard's appearance is based on. Like I've said she's modelled a lot on Stana Katic's appearance and Stana Katic is one of the few people I would describe as literally stunning. As in sometimes when I see her I am actually stunned into silence. That's sort of what this was talking about. And like Stana Katic as Detective Beckett in Castle, most of the time she looks very professional and businesslike, but then she lets her hair down and it's just like 'woah.' So that's where that comes from. Also the actual motion I imagine is like when Angelina Jolie lets her hair down in Mr & Mrs Smith during the dominatrix scene.

Miranda's 'I'm shocked' line is taken from the movie Casablanca. The 'deal me in' part immediately after comes from Martha Rogers in TVs Castle. it just made me laugh to also think that maybe Miranda might let her hair down for once.

And like I said, check out my AO3 account at some point soon for the extended, risque version. (it's about 5am here so I haven't written it yet and don't intend to until I've slept, sorry)


	52. Chapter 51: Treason

**AN:- **And we're back.

**Chapter Fifty-One: Treason**

Once they were back on course she went to check on Grunt down in the cargo bay. Chakwas had assured her that he was fine, and Kelly hadn't reported anything out of the ordinary, but she still wanted to check for herself. She found him running through close combat forms.

"Are you feeling okay after the mission Grunt?"

He barely seemed to be listening to her. "Urdnot Grunt. I like it. I have a clan. That makes me; it makes me want to fight, not just able to." He turned to her and smiled. "And Uvenk. I wanted to disembowel him, to tear out his spine like a trophy."

She frowned, taking a step back in case he went crazy again. "We started this because you were losing control, now you sound more violent than ever."

"Wrex said I was normal, just had this built up stuff because of being grown in the tank. Now that I know it's not an outside thing, and I have a place as a krogan, I like it." He pounded his fists together. "Our enemies are in trouble Shepard, and we'd better not run out of targets."

"I'm not planning on living like this forever Grunt."

"Talk like that and it won't be your choice. I'm sure as hell not quitting with a whimper. Just so you're clear where we stand."

She was, unfortunately. And for now he was right. She nodded to him and left the cargo bay, only to run right into Tali, who was looking frantic.

"Shepard I need your help. I just received a message from the Migrant Fleet. The Admiralty Board has accused me of treason. I'm scared, Shepard."

Shepard grabbed her shoulders and forced her to stop flinching. "Slow down Tali, breathe." She waited until Tali had stopped twitching and then let go. "Go over that again. The Admiralty Board has accused you of treason? Nobody who knows you would believe you could betray your people, Tali."

"I don't know. They don't lay charges like this unless the evidence seems absolute."

A cold thought entered her head. "Is it because you're working with Cerberus?"

"I'm not working with Cerberus, I'm working with you. And I got leave to serve on the Normandy again. I have no idea what they're accusing me of. You'd think I'd remember if I'd betrayed the Fleet."

Shepard tried to run through everything they had done in the past few weeks, but none of it had been connected to the quarians, at least not in any noticeable way. "What happens when a quarian is accused of treason?"

"There's a hearing, with members of the Admiralty Board acting as judges. My father is an Admiral on the Board. He'll have to recuse himself from judgement. I can't even imagine what he's thinking right now. The punishment for treason is exile. If they convict me. I can never go back."

"Then let's go find the Flotilla, immediately."

Tali rubbed her mask. "I was going to book passage on another ship. I didn't think there would be time in your mission."

Shepard took her hand. "I'm not going to let one of my crew face something like this alone, least of all you Tali. We're going to go to the Migrant Fleet and we're going to sort this out."

"Thank you Shepard."

"Joker."

"Commander?"

"Tali's sending you some coordinates. All speed possible."

"Aye aye Commander."

/|\

"Shepard, I see you've altered our course yet again."

"Personal errand."

"You are aware that this is a military ship, not your personal yacht?"

"Hey, it's TIM who keeps saying we all need to be ready to go. If one of my crew has something bad hanging over them we need to resolve it."

Miranda frowned at the nickname as always, but she seemed to determined to actually get an answer. "What is this personal errand?"

"It's for Tali."

"Ah."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. Just ah."

"You're not going to tell me off for misusing Cerberus resources."

Miranda smiled in her most infuriating way. "Much as this may surprise you Commander I quite like Tali. And if she needs some help I would be happy to offer my assistance as well."

"That's, surprisingly nice of you Miranda, I'll be sure to let her know."

"Thank you Shepard."

And she left a very confused Shepard in the mess hall alone.

/|\

The approach to the Migrant Fleet was very different to their normal planetary approach. In many ways it reminded Shepard of docking with so-called 'Space Nations.' The largest space stations technically held enough people to qualify as their own nation, like the Citadel or Omega, but legally were still treated like a regular space dock. Boarding procedures were like a cross between the rigmarole of docking with nations and the relatively simple process of organising a brief ship to ship dock.

Tali was up in the cockpit with them, broadcasting on all frequencies as they came closer. Finally the quarian fleet picked them up.

"This is Tali'Zorah vas Neema nar Rayya, requesting permission to dock with the Rayya." Joker had isolated the return signal to a single ship, and shifted the course subtly to bring them in line with it.

"Our system has your ship flagged as Cerberus. Verify."

Shepard started a little, but Tali didn't seem too concerned. "After time adrift among open stars. Along tides of light and through shoals of dust. I will return to where I began."

There was silence on the other end, along with the hiss of static. Unusual for modern communication relays, though of course that would have been fitting for quarian technology. Shepard gave Tali a searching look, but she waved her away.

"Permission granted. Welcome home Tali'Zorah."

"We'd like a security and quarantine team to meet us. Our ship is not clean."

"Understood approach steering docking cradle seventeen."

Joker looked back and nodded at her.

"How long will decontamination take Tali?" Shepard asked as they made their way back through to the CiC.

"Not long Shepard. A simple antibacterial blast while you're in armour. Obviously no one will be able to take off their armour while we're on the ship though."

"You want other people to come with us?"

"Well…"

"We can't have too many people in case we freak people out, but you want to have some support?" Shepard guessed.

"Something like that."

"How about Garrus then? They shouldn't have an objection to him as a turian, we know he won't cause a diplomatic incident like anyone from Cerberus, and he knows you better than anyone else on the crew."

Tali nodded. "That is actually a really good idea. I'll ask him."

/|\

Twenty minutes later they were standing in a decontamination chamber in full armour, helmets locked into place as a laser sweeper ran over them. They had needed to turn their shields off to let it do its work, eliminating any specs of dust or micro-organisms that could possibly cause contamination. Once the laser grid had finished its work a blast of pressurised steam washed over them.

"What was that?" Shepard asked as another blast of air signalled the end of the process.

"Antibacterial everything Shepard. We can't afford to take any chances."

They stepped through the airlock on the other side to enter the quarian ship. Half a dozen quarians were on the other side, clearly wanting to see them come in. It didn't seem too formal to her, but she had spoken to Tali before about the informality of the fleet. Living in such close quarters tended to lead to a breakdown of formality.

The ship itself was somehow clean but still looked grimy. She examined the nearest bulkhead and realised it was simply from age and use. What should have been a sharp edged, flat sheet of metal had been worn down by centuries of cleaning and repair. Unavoidable warping had crept into the metals as well, and stained them to dull browns and greys. She saw faint glimpses of copper gone green in some of the plating. When she breathed in the air was musty and stale, scrubbed and recycled constantly for three hundred years. Some of the quarian ships hadn't even seen a proper atmosphere generator since they left the homeworld.

Three quarian armed with rifles came over to greet them, though they kept the weapons trained at the floor.

"Captain Shepard." She almost corrected him, until she remembered quarian traditions. "Tali'Zorah told me a lot about you. Wish we could be meeting under more pleasant circumstances."

At the very least he seemed to be on her side. "Tali helped the Normandy's crew out of many difficult situations, I'm here to return the favour."

"I understand." His tone became more officious. "As the Commander of the vessel she serves on, your voice carries weight." He turned to Tali. "I wish I could do more to help Tali, the trial requires that I be officially neutral, but… I'm here if you need to talk." She wondered who exactly this was, but Tali seemed to know him, and some of the tension seemed to have left her already. "They're charging you with bringing active geth to the fleet as part of a secret project."

"That's insane. I never brought active geth aboard. I only sent parts and pieces."

Shepard's head snapped round at that. "You sent geth materials back to the Migrant Fleet?"

"Yes. My father was working on a project, he needed them. The materials… if I sent back something that was only damaged, not permanently inactive." She shook her head furiously. "No, no, no I checked everything. I was careful."

"Technically I'm under orders to place Tali'Zorah under arrest, pending the hearing, so Tali, you're confined to this ship until the trial is over."

"Thank you Captain."

He nodded, and she realised that he had to be the captain of the ship. _Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, ah. _"Preparations got underway as soon as you arrived. The hearing's being held in the Garden Plaza. Good luck."

He nodded and walked back down the corridor, leaving them standing by the airlock.

"Garden Plaza?" Garrus said as Tali led them forwards. "With all of your allergies and immune system problems is that really such a good idea?"

"Natural replenishment of oxygen," she said off-handedly. "It needs a lot of work, and a lot of anti-histamines, but without gardens on the ships we would run out of even recyclable air pretty quickly." All around them Shepard heard quarians whispering, some in support of Tali, others condemning her. "Plus, we need to grow our own food. We don't have the resources to import it."

"I had no idea," Shepard said. "I knew that living all your lives in an environment suit had to be difficult, but I thought at least within your own ships you could take them off."

"If you have an environmentally controlled cabin separate from the rest of the ship, sure. But even then we need to take antibiotics, just in case." Tali shrugged. "It's better than the alternative I suppose."

At the end of the corridor there was a female quarian who turned as they approached, spreading her arms out. "Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, I am glad you came. I could delay them only so long." Shepard caught the name, but Tali apparently had not, rushing forwards and wrapping her arms around the older woman in the galaxy's most awkward hug.

"Auntie Raan!" She cried, letting go and stepping back. "Shepard vas Normandy, this is Admiral Shala Raan vas Tonbay, she's a friend of my father's…" She suddenly caught the change as well, and turned back to the admiral. "Wait, Raan, you called me vas Normandy."

"I'm afraid I did Tali. The Admiralty Board moved to have you tried under that name, given your departure from the Neema."

Shepard stepped forward as Tali seemed to have been stunned into silence. "I take it being associated with a human ship is a bad sign?"

"They stripped me of my ship name. That's as good as declaring me exiled already."

"It's not over yet Tali. You have friends who still know you as Tali'Zorah vas Neema, whatever we must call you legally."

Shepard managed a smile at that. It gave her some hope. "You're an admiral," she said. "Does that mean you're one of the judges?" It would have been good to know they had at least one judge on their side.

"I'm afraid not, my history with Tali and her father forced me to recuse myself."

Tali nodded. "I imagine my father had to do the same."

"You'll see inside Tali." That set alarm bells ringing in Shepard's head. "For my part, I moderate and ensure that the rules of protocol are followed. But I have no vote in the judgement."

"I guess we should get started. Does Tali have a defence councillor? Someone who speaks for her side?"

"Indeed she does, Captain Shepard." That time she definitely caught undertones of something more. "She is part of your crew now, recognised by quarian law. And remember, an accused is always represented by his or her ship's captain."

Tali spelled it out in case she still didn't quite get it. "So, er, you would actually speak for my defence."

She forced herself to stay calm. "I'll do everything in my power to help you Tali." Internally she was screaming. She would have had no idea what to do in a human court of law, and at least there she could at least understand the laws themselves. In a quarian court she would be totally lost.

"Thank you Shepard, I could not ask for a better councillor."

Raan seemed to sense her discomfort at least. "Our legal rules are simple. There are no legal tricks or political loopholes for you to worry about. Present the truth as best you can, it will have to be enough. Now come, I promised that I would not delay you."

She led them into a magnificent wide open room, water running over thick tree trunks at the far wall. In between the plating on the floor grass grew, and the smell of the ship very suddenly grew sweet and fresh. Shepard took a deep breath, marvelling in how good it felt.

The room was arranged like so many other forums, multiple tiers that the other quarians gathered on to watch as Shepard and Tali walked down to the podium. In front of them the Admiralty Board gathered, Raan on a higher platform behind the other three. Shepard turned to Tali as they all took their places. "Your father?"

"Not here."

Before she could say anything more Raan held up her arms to call for order. "This Conclave is brought to order. Blessed are the ancestors who kept us alive, sustained us and enabled us to reach this season. Keelah selai."

The quarians around them chorused. "Keelah selai." Shepard kept her mouth shut, not sure about her place with something like that. She heard Tali say it behind her though.

"The accused Tali'Zorah vas Normandy has come with her captain to defend herself against the charge of treason."

The crowd started to murmur, but were quickly silenced when one of the admirals stepped forwards. "Objection! A human has no business at a hearing involving such sensitive military matters."

Raan leaned over the podium to look down at him. "Then you should not have declared Tali crew of the Normandy Admiral Koris. By right as Tali's captain, Shepard must stay."

_Bitch._ She was glad her helmet hid her grin.

"Objection withdrawn."

"Shepard vas Normandy, your crewmember Tali'Zorah stands accused of treason, will you speak for her?"

_You're up Shepard. Better make it good. _"If it helps Tali I will, but in her heart she remains Tali'Zorah vas Neema, a proud member of the Migrant Fleet." She turned slightly to where she had seen the captain of the Neema taking his place. "I regret that her captain is forbidden to stand at her side today."

The same admiral who had spoken before stepped forwards again. "Nobody has been forbidden from anything. It is a simple-"

"Lie to them if you must Zaal'Koris," another of the admirals said. "But don't lie to me and expect me to stay silent. The human is right."

"Admirals, please." Raan had to lean forward again to get them to stop. _So much for no political issues._ "Shepard's willingness to represent Tali'Zorah in this hearing is appreciated. Tali you are accused of bringing active geth to the migrant fleet, what say you?"

Before Tali could speak Shepard stepped up. "How could Tali have brought geth to the Fleet while serving on the Normandy?"

"To clarify Shepard." Shepard was glad of the wording. She wanted the situation to be as clear as possible. "Tali isn't accused of bring back entire units, only parts that could spontaneously reactivate."

Tali spoke up. "But I would never send active geth to the Fleet. Everything I sent was disabled and harmless."

"Then explain how geth seized the labship where your father was working?"

There was uproar from the gathered quarians, and Shepard at once knew that there was a lot more to the situation than they had been informed of.

Through the din Tali managed to make herself heard. "What are you talking about, what happened?"

Raan banged a gavel several times for order. "As far as we can tell Tali, the geth have killed everyone on the Alarei, your father included."

"What? Oh keelah."

Shepard balled her hands into fists and fought to keep her tone level. "I appreciate the need for this trial, Admirals." Even she could hear the contempt dripping from her voice. "But right now our first concern must be the safety of the Migrant Fleet. The Normandy stands ready to assist in whatever capacity necessary."

"Thank you," Raan said. "Quarian strike teams have attempted to retake the ship, so far without success."

Tali gripped her elbow. "Shepard we have to take back the Alarei."

"The safest course would be to simply destroy the ship." It was the same Admiral who had spoken before. "But if you are looking for an honourable death instead of exile."

"I'm looking for my father you bosh'tet."

Raan cut across any more argument. "You intend to retake the Alarei from the geth. This proposal is extremely dangerous."

"With your permission Admirals, yes." She managed to put a little more respect into her voice this time. "The good of the Fleet must come first, and Tali needs to find her father."

The other male Admiral was nodding. "Agreed, and if you die on this worthy mission we will see that your name is cleared of these charges."

"We can discuss that later," the first admiral said.

"Then it is decided." Raan brought order back to the room. "You will attempt to retake the Alarei. You are hereby given leave to depart the Rayya, a shuttle will be waiting for you at the secondary docking hangar. Be safe Tali. This hearing will resume upon your return, or upon the determination that you have been killed in action."

_That's certainly one way to end these proceedings._

As the admirals left their stands Shepard turned to Tali, who had a hand to her mask, shaking her head slightly. "Thank you for agreeing to take back the Alarei Shepard. The Admirals sound sure that my father is already dead, but…" She looked up and reached out to touch Shepard's forearm. "I don't know, we won't know anything until we get there."

Shepard gripped Tali's forearm as well. "How are you holding up? They just threw a lot of fire at you, even before telling you about your father." _And I'm going to have words with Raan about that._

"I knew this would be bad, but I guess you're never really prepared to be charged with treason. And, my father, I, I don't know. He could still be alive; they don't know for certain that he's dead. I just don't know Shepard, and I need to find out."

Garrus had come to join them as well. "Is there anyone here you wanna talk to before we go?" Shepard asked.

"We can talk with the Admirals. it might help us to see what their viewpoints are. But I doubt we'll change anyone's mind by talking to them privately."

"We should at least get a sense of where they stand."

"Right. But the sooner we get to the Alarei the sooner we'll know what happened."

"Let's go."

She let Tali lead the way round to the first Admiral, the only female in the trial. Talking to her revealed her to be a very straight forward person, who seemed a lot more concerned with the political ramifications of the research Rael might have been doing. At the very least she didn't seem likely to throw Tali to the wolves without proof.

The next admiral was Han'Gerrel, the one who had spoken in Tali's defence. He seemed much more protective of her, but it very quickly became clear that he was biased due to a close relationship with her father. Shepard didn't know why he hadn't been forced to recuse himself, but she did know that she didn't like the way Tali perked up around him.

When they left him she turned to talk to her friend. "You know that his talk of war isn't in the quarians best interests, don't you?"

"I'm not so sure Shepard. The research my father was doing was to help us fight the geth. If he has made a breakthrough then what is to stop us from making use of it?"

"The quarians aren't ready for a war Tali."

Tali didn't respond, leading them round to the third admiral, who had spoken against them so much. Two questions in she had firmly placed him into the 'dick' category, but she wasn't convinced he was truly against them. Tali became noticeably more antagonistic with him as well, and she fought to keep her opinions on that to herself as he left to talk to someone else.

"That's all the admirals, apart from Raan." Raan seemed to have made herself scarce, and Shepard knew it had to be because of the bombshell she had just dropped on Tali without warning.

"We should get moving," Garrus said. "Time is of the essence here after all."

"You're right," Shepard said. "Tali, lead the way."

**AN:- **Honestly not a great deal to say about this one. I added in some of my headcanon stuff about why this massively allergic race might have frickin' trees on their ships.

On to the next one!


	53. Chapter 52: Betrayal

**AN:- **Tali's loyalty mission is surprisingly long.

**Chapter Fifty-Two: Betrayal**

The shuttle ride over to the Alarei was tense. They hadn't had a chance to bring any more crew members through the decontamination unit, and no one had any idea about the sort of numbers they might face when they were over there. Admiral Xen had told them that to run the ship they would need anything between ten and fifty platforms. Which meant they were placing their hopes on Rael'Zorah not having enough parts to build that many. It wasn't much hope.

They docked and Tali was first out of the shuttle, sweeping her shotgun to cover the corners as she made her way to the internal door. Garrus and Shepard hurried to join her as the door opened and gunfire roared through it.

Shepard tackled Tali to the floor as Garrus returned fire, his shield overloading in an instant. He was forced into the cover of the doorway as Shepard pulled her submachine gun off her back and opened fire with it, spraying the half dozen geth who were hunkered behind cover.

"This is not ideal," Garrus said as he drew his assault rifle.

Shepard and Tali had crawled to cover on the other side. "This is more resistance than I expected," Shepard said, priming an incendiary charge.

"If this is what every room is like we're not going to get far."

Shepard fired the charge and a moment later there was a massive explosion as three geth went up at once. Garrus leaned out a second later and fired, cutting down the last one standing. They moved into the room, collecting the heat sinks and making sure the bodies really were down for good.

Tali found a storage room and went into it, Shepard close behind her. She was examining some machine parts that were sitting on a bench.

"This is one of the storage units I sent to father. Looks like parts from a disabled repair drone, plus a reflex algorithm that I didn't recognise. I got this on Haestrom."

"Haestrom was a war zone. How did you salvage gear in the middle of all that?"

"These suits have more pockets than you'd think. Quarians have learned how to salvage whatever we can whenever we can. Within reason. We're not vorcha, but we repair what most people would throw away. Hundreds of the ships in our fleet were salvaged wrecks. Either found dead in space or purchased for next to nothing."

She went back to examining the parts. Shepard couldn't help but be curious. "What made a part worth sending back to your father?"

"It had to be in working order. Something that could be analysed and integrated into other technology. Anything new had priority. Technology the geth had developed themselves, signs of modification, clues to their thinking."

"How did you get these things to your father?"

"Sometimes I left packages at secure drops in civilised areas. Someone on Pilgrimage would see them shipped home. For very valuable finds I'd signal home and father would send a small ship."

"Does that salvaged gear give you a clue as to what happened here?"

"No. I don't know." She turned to Shepard with her voice pleading. "Shepard I checked everything I sent here. I passed up great finds because they might be too dangerous prone to uncontrolled reactivation or self-repair. I don't know which possibility is worse, that I got sloppy and sent something dangerous, or that father actually did all this."

"We don't know anything for sure yet Tali. Let's just work on finding your father."

"Of course, thank you Shepard."

They went back to Garrus, who was standing by the only other way out of the lab. "You might want to listen to that Shepard," he said, indicating an open log.

She activated the log and watched as an image of a female quarian sprang to life on the screen.

"Who's running this system diagnostic, I didn't authorise. Oh keelah, how many geth are networked?"

"All of them." A male quarian entered the picture. "Rael'Zorah-"

"Shut it down, shut everything down. They're in the system!"

The log ended abruptly in static and she turned to Garrus. "Rael."

"Yeah."

"It doesn't necessarily mean that he was responsible for all of this," Shepard said to Tali. "Let's just… let's just find him."

The door opened and they followed the only path open to them. It looked as though someone had locked down and sealed most of the doors, probably in an attempt to contain the geth. The corridors were silent and still, no hint that anything alive remained.

The silence ended the moment they entered the next open room, when a geth prime at the far end opened fire on them, forcing them back into cover.

"This is insane," Tali said as she opened fire with her shotgun. "How did they build a geth prime?"

"Is there any chance that you sent any parts back that could have made one?"

"No, geth prime were always too dangerous."

"Then either someone else was sending your father parts, or they fashioned them here." Garrus stepped out of cover and triggered his omni tool. A moment later the geth prime's shields dropped. Shepard followed up Garrus' attack with an AM bullet through the visor.

"We've gotta keep moving," Shepard said.

"I see another terminal." Garrus looked away from his scope. "And some stairs."

"Alright. You and Tali get up the stairs and check things out."

"Understood Shepard."

The two of them headed up while she opened up the log, seeing the same female quarian from before.

"We locked down navigation. Weapons are offline. Our mistake won't endanger the Fleet." She looked off to the side. "They're burning through the door. I don't have much time. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. Jonah." Shepard felt like she had punched in the chest. "If you get this, be strong for daddy. Mommy loves you very much." Feedback erupted from the speakers as gunfire cut her down. Shepard shut off the recording, wishing she could open her helmet to brush the tears from her eyes.

"Shepard!"

The urgency in Garrus' voice snapped her out of her thoughts and she ran to join them, taking the stairs two at a time. Garrus was hunkered down at the top of the stairs as bullets whistled past him, burying themselves into the far wall. She drew her shotgun and pistol and knelt next to him. "What've we got?"

"Looks like a whole platoon. Tali's pinned down in there."

"We've gotta get her out." Shepard primed another incendiary charge and slipped past him, chancing a look out. Tali was lying flat behind a desk laden with vials of chemicals that were being shattered by the bullets. A bullet punched clean through Shepard's shields and she was forced to pull her head back in. "On my mark."

She knew there was no point waiting for a lull in the firing. Geth were capable of timing their firing so that there was never a pause when more than one had to reload at the same time. Instead she counted to ten in her head, then stepped round the corner and fired the charge, trusting her shields would protect her for the brief moment she was exposed to their full fire.

Garrus took full advantage of the distraction, breaking cover and sliding into place next to Tali. He wasted no time, sticking his assault rifle over the top and emptying the clip, forcing the geth down into cover. Shepard ducked back into cover and waited for her shields to recharge as the geth brought their fire to bear again.

Tali's shotgun joined the roar of fire and the geth onslaught faltered. Shepard broke cover and made for cover next to her team, adding her fire to their barrage. There was little room for any more complex tactics than just blanketing the other side of the room in bullets. The geth were smarter than most enemies though, and stayed well protected.

"Tali, can you do anything about this?" Shepard struggled to keep up fire with two guns while still reloading.

"Give me a second." Tali opened up her omni-tool and keyed something into it. "Stay down."

Across from them one of the geth suddenly turned and started to fire on its comrades, knocking two of them down before they could even respond. The final three turned on it and reduced it to scrap metal, but in doing so they were left wide open for Shepard's team to cut them to pieces.

"Come on," Shepard said. "There's bound to be more of them."

"How did so many of them get built?" Garrus said. "This is too many, even if other people had been supplying Tali's father with parts."

"They must be salvaging parts of the ship to build new platforms. "Tali said.

In the very next room they found the first quarian body, laid out on a packing crate, her arms folded across her chest. Shepard recognised the markings on the armour as the same quarian who had left the messages.

"Did the other quarians do this?" Garrus asked as Tali went to a computer mounted on a nearby wall.

"I don't see how they would have had time."

"The geth?"

"It's the only option." Shepard looked over to Tali. "What do you think?"

Tali hadn't been paying attention to their conversation. "This console might have something. Most of the data is corrupted, but a few bits are left." She scrolled through the files. "They were performing experiments on geth systems, looking for new ways to overcome geth resistance to reprogramming."

"They were testing weapons on the geth?" Shepard came over to examine the data. "That's not exactly ethical."

"It's not testing weapons on prisoners Shepard. I only sent father parts. Even if he assembled them they wouldn't be sapient. You saw what Saren and Sovereign did with the geth. Any research that gives us an advantage is important."

"Do you know what kind of tests your father was running?"

"No, father just told me to send back any geth technology I could find that wasn't a direct danger to the Fleet." She didn't have to point out how that might have invited corruption. "I suspected he might be testing weapons but I thought he was just working on new ways to bypass shields or armour."

There was no point speculating on that though. "Could any of that data clear your name?"

"Doubtful. This is mostly results data effects of different destructive hacking techniques. I don't understand all of it. But they may have been activating the geth deliberately." She shut the computer down and leaned against the console. "I don't know. Nothing here says specifically, but if they were, then father was doing something terrible." She shook her head, her voice muffled by more than the helmet. "What was all this? Father you promised me you'd build me a house on the homeworld. Was this going to bring us back home?"

"Maybe it's time for your people to let go of reclaiming your world from the geth."

Tali rounded on her. "You have no idea what it's like. You have a planet to go back to. My home is one hull breach away from extinction."

"I haven't had a planet since I was sixteen Tali. But I know what a home is. You've got a place Tali, don't throw it away in a war you don't need."

"Don't need… Shepard if I don't wear a helmet in my own home I die. A single kiss could put me in the hospital. Every time you touch a flower with bare fingers, inhale its fragrance without air filters, you're doing something I can't." She punched the computer. "Damn the pilgrimage. Without it I might never have known what I was missing. What we lost when we had lost our homeworld."

"Well then maybe it's not about finding the Homeworld but just finding a homeworld. Colonise somewhere new."

"We'd have enough difficulty reacclimating to our own native environment. Adjusting for exposure to a foreign colony would be even harder. It's the difference between years and six hundred. For anyone alive now to watch a sunset without a mask, we must take back our home." She sighed and shook her head. "At the very least we could take back one ship. Come on."

She pushed past Shepard and stomped into the next room. Garrus followed after her. Shepard took a moment to remember the dead quarian, not quite sure why it felt so important, and then went after them.

There was only one geth in the next room, and Tali had already blasted it in half. The door beyond had been locked, and she moved to bypass it as Shepard found another log entry. Wondering if it could possibly be any worse she opened it up to find the same woman from before.

"First entry. Our hacking attempts failed. The geth have an adaptive consciousness. Hack one process and the others autocorrect Still we're making progress. Rael'Zorah is convinced we'll have a viable system in less than a year. This weapon will put our people back on the homeworld, and it's all because of Rael'Zorah."

_Right,_ she thought dully. _That's how. All the good intentions in the world and this is where it led._

The door cycled open and Tali gasped, drawing her attention.

"Father!" She had hurried forwards to where a quarian body was lying. "No, no, no, no. You always had a plan." She pushed the body over so it lay face up. "Masked life signs, or, or an onboard medical stasis program maybe. You, you wouldn't." Her voice was choked with tears. Shepard started to hurry across the room towards her. "They're wrong, you wouldn't just die like this. You wouldn't leave me to clean up your mess-"

Shepard dropped to her knees next to Tali and pulled her into a tight embrace, feeling Tali's arms clamp around her back as she buried her head into Shepard's shoulder.

"It's alright," she said quietly. "It'll be alright."

Another pair of arms encircled them and she realised Garrus was on his knees next to them as well, holding Tali as she sobbed, deep, wracking gasps that shook her whole body and left her hoarse from crying. Shepard didn't say anything, just held her close until she was done, and they were left sitting on the floor next to the body.

Finally Tali pulled away, her voice low. "Damn it," She put a hand to her mask as if to brush away tears, then dropped it. "Damn it. I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry about," Shepard told her.

Tali turned back to the body, opening her omni tool. "Maybe… He would have known I'd come. Maybe he left a message."

The omni-tool on Rael's arm opened, then a moment later a green hologram appeared, floating above the body. "Tali. If you are listening, then I am dead. The geth have gone active. I don't have much time. Their main hub will be on the bridge. You'll need to destroy it to stop their VI processes from forming new neural links. Make sure Han'Gerrel and Daro'Xen see the data, they must-" The hologram looked up suddenly, then started to run, disappearing from view.

She sat back again. "Thanks dad."

"He knew you'd come for him. He was trying to help you. It's not perfect, it's not what you wanted. But it's the best he could do."

"I don't know what's worse." She didn't look up, staring somewhere at the floor. "Thinking he never really cared, or thinking that he did, and that this was the only way he could show it." She pushed herself up, Shepard and Garrus following her. "It doesn't matter. One way or the other I care, and I'm here, and we're ending this."

Shepard nodded. "Give us a second."

She nodded to Garrus, who apparently understood. They knelt, taking Rael's body beneath the shoulders and at the knees. It wasn't elegant, but they were able to manoeuvre him back into the room and lay him out on one of the tables, where Shepard then crossed his arms over his chest. She wasn't quite sure about quarian burial traditions, but at least they had afforded him some respect. Tali waited at the foot of the stairs, nodding when they returned.

"Thanks."

"No problem." Shepard drew her pistol. "Now let's end this."

At the top of the stairs they came to what was clearly the bridge, a glass screen partitioning two sections of the room. There were three geth beyond the screen, a prime and two hunters who turned as the door opened and drew assault rifles, opening fire on them. The glass cracked but didn't break as the fire pounded against it and they ran for the cover of two pillars on either side.

Garrus leaned out of cover with his sniper rifle and fired, nodding to her as he came back into cover. "Two to go." He said.

Glass shattered and the prime came crashing through the window, sweeping its arm out and smacking Garrus in the jaw, sending him flying into a bank of computers. Tali and Shepard turned to fire but it was faster, kicking Shepard into the wall and punching Tali hard in the face.

Shepard struggled to get up as the prime towered over Tali, raising its assault rifle and sighting on her head. Adrenaline flowed through her and she felt strength flooding her limbs, launching her out of the tangled mess of wires and across the room in a split second. She grabbed the prime by the midsection and kept running, slamming it into the pillar. She had lost her gun somewhere in the melee but her fists moved in a blur, striking again and again at the prime's chestplate, denting the metal.

Vaguely aware that it was trying to bring its assault rifle round she punched a hole clean through the shoulder joint. It struggled to kick back but she dug her hand right into the muscle mass and ripped out a handful of wires. She was aware, dimly, that she was moving faster than she could have thought possible, that the prime could have been moving through sand as she methodically cracked open the chestplate and reached inside, grabbing two bunches of wires and yanking them hard.

The prime sank to its knees, a weird high pitched whistle emanating from somewhere within it. She grabbed its head and twisted hard, metal grinding and shrieking as the top of the thing unscrewed at the neck. With a final determined pull she separated it entirely, and the body toppled to one side, sparking from a dozen wounds. The light in the faceplate went dull almost immediately and the whistle stopped.

She looked up to see Tali and Garrus staring at her. She looked back down to the twisted mess she had made out of the prime. "Oh." She tossed the head back towards the door. "No one messes with my girl."

Tali shook her head, but Shepard imagined she was smiling. "This console is linked to the main hub father mentioned," she said, heading over to the monitor. "Disabling it shuts down any geth we missed. It looks like some of the recordings remain intact, they'll tell us how this happened, what father did."

Shepard stepped next to her. "You sound like you don't really wanna here it."

"No, we have to. I know, I just." She turned to Shepard. "This is terrible Shepard. I don't want to know that he was part of this."

Shepard smiled sympathetically, rested her hand on Tali's shoulder. Tali seemed to draw strength from the touch, and turned back to the computer, opening up the terminal. An image of three quarian appeared, the women, Rael, and a third quarian.

"Do we have enough parts to bring more online?" Rael was saying.

"Yes," replied the other man. "The new shipment from your daughter will let us add two more geth to the network."

"We're nearing a breakthrough on systemic viral attacks." The woman sounded uncertain. "Perhaps if we inform the Admiralty Board, just to be safe."

"No, we're too close. I promised to build my daughter a house on the homeworld. I'm not going to sit and wait while the politicians argue."

"We'd have an easier time of it if Tali'Zorah could send back more working material," the other man grumbled.

"Absolutely not. I don't want Tali exposed to any political blowback. Leave Tali out of this. Assemble new geth with what we have. Bypass security protocols if need be."

Shepard shut down the recording. "It sounds like he was doing this for you."

"I never wanted this Shepard, keelah I never wanted this. Everything here is his fault. I, I tried to pretend it didn't point to him, but this…" She shook her head. "When this comes up in the trial they'll…" She grabbed Shepard's arm. "We can't tell them. Not the admirals, not anyone."

Garrus came up to her as well. "Tali without this evidence you're looking at exile."

"You think I don't' know that? You think I want to live knowing that I can never see the Fleet again?" Her voice was rising with every word. "But I can't go back to that room and say that my father was the worst war criminal in our people's history. I cannot."

"Rael'Zorah doesn't need you to worry about him anymore. You heard him say he didn't want you to be caught in the politics."

"You don't understand Shepard. They would strike his name from the manifest of every ship he ever served on. He would be worse than an exile, he'd be a traitor to our people. Held up for children as a monster in a cautionary tale. I can't let all the good he did be destroyed for this. Shepard…"

It was impossible to be harsh when Tali used that pleading tone. "We're not going to decide anything here. Let's see what the Admirals say when we get back."

"You're my captain in this hearing Shepard, it's your decision. But please don't destroy what my father was. Come on." She deactivated the computer and headed for the door. "If we wait too long they'll decide we're already dead and none of this will matter."

**AN:- **So yeah this is gonna be three chapters, and three pretty long chapters at that.

Not much to say about this one. Please read and review!


	54. Chapter 53: The Trial of Tali'Zorah

**AN:- **Could not resist the title. Longest title ever!

**Chapter Fifty-Three: The Trial of Tali'Zorah nar Rayya vas Neema vas Normandy**

Garrus took the battered old shuttle to its limits, redlining three hundred year old engines until they wailed inside the cabin. Shepard wasn't scared, exactly, but nor did she let go of the safety belt until they had finished docking with the _Rayya._

They piled out to find a quarian staring at them. "You're alive? They've already started the trial…"

They were already in motion, sprinting through the halls. From ahead Shepard could hear the dull murmur of voices, and put on a burst of speed, coming through the door just as Raan's voice cut above the bustle of the crowd. "Very well, is the Admiralty Board prepared to render judgement?"

"Not yet," she shouted from the top of the steps. Every helmet turned to her as she marched down to the podium.

Tali was at her heel, quirking her head to the admirals. "Sorry we're late."

Shepard took over, putting on her best court-room voice. "Tali'Zorah vas Normandy just saved the Alarei. I hope this proves her loyalty to the quarian people."

Koris stepped forwards. "Her loyalty was never in doubt, only her judgement."

Gerrel was next to him in an instant. "Perhaps Tali'Zorah can offer something to encourage more trust in her judgement?" He turned to Tali and Shepard almost imagined he was smiling. "Did you find anything on the Alarei that would clarify what happened there?"

Shepard stepped forwards to the very edge of the podium, her mind racing for another option. She heard Tali shift behind her. "Shepard, please."

Raan was watching them closely. "Does Captain Shepard have any new evidence to submit to this hearing?"

She took a breath and let it go, then started to speak. "Tali helped me defeat Saren and the geth at the Citadel. That should be all the evidence you need."

Koris waved dismissively. "I fail to see what relevance-"

Suddenly she saw it. "You're not really interested in Tali are you? This trial isn't about her, it's about the geth."

"This hearing has nothing to do with the geth."

"You want people to sympathise with them, Han'Gerrel wants to go to war. None of you care about Tali. She knows more about the geth than any other quarian alive. You should be listening to her, not putting her on trial." She was on a role now, and when Koris tried to interrupt again he couldn't even get the first word out. "Tali'Zorah saved the Citadel. She saved the Alarei." She turned away from the Board, trying to look at as many of the quarians in the audience as she could. "She showed the galaxy the value of the quarian people." Her gaze finally rested on Tali. "I can't think of stronger evidence than that."

The crowd erupted into applause, and when she turned back to the Admirals there every motion betrayed their uncertainty. Raan was forced to bang the gavel several times to restore order. She looked down to the admirals. "Are you prepared to render judgement?"

All three of them triggered their omni-tools and entered a decision. It didn't escape Shepard's notice that Koris was the last to do so, and he was looking right at her as he did. Raan checked the board in front of her and nodded.

"Tali'Zorah. In light of your history of service we do not find sufficient evidence to convict. You are cleared of all charges. Commander Shepard, please accept these gifts in appreciation for you taking the time to represent one of our people."

Shepard's omni-tool pinged but she ignored it. "If you appreciate me then listen. You cannot go to war with the geth." There was another grumble from the crowd, and Gerrel folded his arms as he stared at her. "They are too strong for you. I know how much you need to return to your homeworld, believe me I understand the need to find a real home. But the Reapers are coming, and the galaxy will need to stand together to stop them. Please don't throw away the lives of your people in a war you cannot win."

"Thank you Commander Shepard." Koris sounded almost intolerably smug. "I hope this board carefully considers your advice."

"This hearing is concluded," Raan said before another argument could break out. "Go in peace Tali'Zorah vas Normandy." For the first time that didn't sound like an insult. "Keelah se'lai."

This time when the room chorused, Shepard joined in.

They stayed on their podium as the Admiralty Board filed out, then as the rest of the crowd dissipated. Tali stayed at her side right up until the last of the crowd had left, then practically collapsed against the rail, letting out a long breath.

"I can't believe you pulled that off." She turned to Shepard. "What you said… I've never had anyone speak like that on my behalf." Shepard put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. "Thank you for being there for my father and me, even when… Thank you."

She couldn't help but grin. "I'm sure I can still get you exiled. If you want."

"Ha." Tali stood and rolled her shoulders a few times. Shepard could almost see the tension leaving her. "Thanks, but I'm fine with things like this." She chuckled. "Plus, it's fun watching you shout." They made their way back out of the forum.

Shepard stopped at the top of the steps and turned to her. "Tali, about what your father said, what he did… You deserved better."

Tali shrugged. "I got better Shepard, I got you."

Shepard was suddenly glad for the helmet that hid her blush. "Come on Tali'Zorah _vas Normandy_, let's get back to our ship."

"Thank you. Captain."

As they turned to leave a familiar figure came out of the crowd to greet them.

"Kal!" Tali stepped forwards and raising her hand. He returned the gesture. "Glad to see you're alright."

"Glad to see you as well ma'am. I was here to give my report on you, but they thought it would be better that I not see you until the trial was over." He shrugged. "It was my suggestion you could help with the situation on the Alarei."

"That might just have given us what we needed," Shepard said. "Thanks."

"No problem. You didn't deserve what they were doing to you ma'am," he said to Tali. "I did what I could. Glad to see you got off without having to give over the evidence you found on that ship though."

"I didn't say anything about finding evidence on the Alarei."

"Noticed that ma'am."

_Sharper than the average soldier. _"What about that action on Haestrom? You got beat up pretty bad."

"I was out for about a week with an infection. Physical damage wasn't too bad though."

"It must take a lot of courage going into a firefight when a single gunshot wound could kill you by infection."

"It's not like we don't keep antibiotics stocked up," Tali said. "Our soldiers aren't helpless."

Shepard was about to apologise when Kal shook his head. "Commander's got the right of it. You've only seen our strike teams ma'am. Things are very different on the front line. We're better fighting smart, preferably from orbit."

"It's the only way to be sure," Shepard said automatically. "And I suppose all of this puts a damper on your plans for a war with the geth."

"I wouldn't know about that ma'am." He said carefully, and she recognised the attitude of a lifelong soldier in his response. "That's a decision for the higher ups."

"I suppose." Tali still didn't sound convinced, but Shepard felt some sort of understanding pass between her and Kal. She wondered just how protective the old soldier really was of Tali.

"It was good to see you again." Shepard said, standing to attention and saluting.

He returned the salute. "Good to see you too." He added a nod to Tali. "Ma'am."

"You can call me Tali, Kal."

"We'll see ma'am."

He turned and headed back into the crowd. "I'm glad he made it," Tali said. "We don't have enough men like Kal around."

"You must like him a lot."

"He taught me a lot while we were researching the dark energy phenomenon. Not enough to save my squad on Haestrom, but a lot."

"He clearly knows his way around a battlefield, and politics, come to that."

"You can't be a quarian without knowing your way around politics. There's barely any difference between personal and professional politics for us."

"That sounds worryingly like the Normandy." Shepard led the way back through the ship towards the Normandy's docking bay. "No wonder you got along so well with us."

"You mean not all Alliance ships are like that?"

"Oh god no." Shepard shivered at the thought. "We'd kill each other."

"I fear the same would be true of turians," Garrus said from behind them. "We like our discipline."

"Turians like discipline?" Tali said as they waited for the airlock to cycle open. "You shock me."

"Laugh it up Tali. At least we don't have to deal with everyone knowing our personal business."

"Yes Garrus, how terrible that would be."

"Point taken Commander."

/|\

Miranda sat in her cabin and tried to write the report she absolutely needed to send. The Illusive Man had grown weary of her stalling him, and her reports had been increasingly erratic of late, even she knew that. The fiasco with the Pragia facility had been enough to remind her of how much the Illusive Man needed to be kept up to date. There was no chance of him closing down the Lazarus Project, not after the amount of money he had already poured into it, but there was every chance he would reassign someone else as the project lead.

She sighed and tapped a few more lines out. She had already deleted and rewritten so much of it she could barely remember what her point had been. Finally she selected the entire document and started again.

File Open: Mission Debrief: Tali'Zorah vas Normandy/Rayya

Operative: Miranda Lawson

[File]

Commander Shepard's work in assuring the compatibility of this team has begun to show promising rewards. Several of the crew who before faced serious or even severe issues with regards their mental health and ability to function within civilised society have now begun to show markedly improved psychological health. The prime example of this is of course [LINE DELETED]Jack[/LINE DELETED] Subject Zero. Prior to this mission Subject Zero was an unrepentant criminal whose profile suggested extreme anti-social personality disorder verging on criminal psychopathy, but since Shepard has taken the time to connect and reach out to her she now displays improvement in almost every previous area (see attached ref: Chakwas K. PhD, Psychological Evaluation: Subject Zero)

It seems clear to me that despite my initial reservations about allowing Subject Zero to access our databanks and discover the Pragia facility, it may in fact have led to this change in her temperament and demeanour, which makes her far more likely to assist and aid the rest of the team during the Omega-4 mission. I believe that this can only be a positive indication of our chances at success.

There are further changes in the team which all suggest an elevated chance at survival. Attached are several further updates from Chakwas (See Attached ref: Psychological Evaluations: Krios. T; Goto. K; Solus. M; Taylor. J; Grunt). It seems likely that Shepard's previous teammate's Tali'Zorah and Garrus would have already done everything they could to aid her, and similarly I suspect the Justicar Samara, having sworn and oath to Shepard, will also need no further aid, but there is a definite sense of comradeship, despite the differences between the various team-members.

As mentioned in previous reports Shepard has maintained an informal relationship with much of the crew, as well as her team, and this has clearly begun to strengthen the ship and the mission. Many of the crew members discuss the Commander in favourable terms (see attached file ref: Mess Hall 1800-1830 local time), and express confidence in her leadership abilities. Most recently this has been displayed in her reaction an incident of unprofessional conduct among the crew (see attached report ref: Yeoman Chambers. K). Shepard's swift action in this matter, while more extreme than anticipated, has endeared her further to many of the crew.

However, the state of the Commander personally continues to be a source of concern for me. Her insomnia continues, and has begun displaying many of the warning signs for severe depression. Despite the efforts of various squad mates and Doctor Chakwas she continues to refuse treatment. I am worried that while the crew may operate at full efficiency beyond the Omega-4 Relay, Commander Shepard herself may be at a marked decrease.

On an unrelated note, Subject Zero has made a direct threat to kill me once the mission has come to an end. I believe that she is serious in this threat, however, I am unsure as to whether this would extend to a willingness to kill me or allow me to die during the mission. Attached is a recording of the threat (Crew Quarters Lawson. M, 1446 Pragia standard). Additional support or reassignment not required. I believe I can handle this issue on the Normandy.

It seems likely we will collect the Reaper IFF very soon. After this I imagine Shepard will waste no time in bringing us through the Omega-4 Relay. I am confident that we will succeed in our mission, with a much increased chance that some of the crew will survive to return.

[LINE DELETED]Personally I'm rather hoping to be one of them[/LINE DELETED]

[/File]

[Attach]

Status Change Request: Change of Name ref: Tali'Zorah vas Neema

Previous: vas Neema

Update: vas Normandy

Permission Request: Decommission of Security Cameras

Location: Private Quarters, Shepard. M

Updated Psychological Evaluations: Subject Zero, Krios. T; Goto. K; Solus. M; Taylor. J; Grunt

Recording: Mess Hall 1800-1830 local time

Recording: Crew Quarters; Lawson. M, 1446 Pragia standard

[/Attach]

Signoff: Miranda Lawson

Send File: Transport Node Phi Ro 9

Logoff: Miranda Lawson

Purge Databank

Shutdown

[Transmission Detected]

Location: Normandy Mk II, REDACTED, Transport Node Phi Ro 9, REDACTED

Author: Operative Miranda Lawson, REDACTED

Contents: REDACTED

[Transmission Intercept]

[/Transmission Intercept]

[Transmission Download]

[/Transmission Download]

[Open File]

/|\

"Shepard."

"Miranda."

"Late night?"

"Early morning actually."

Miranda checked her chronometer. "I suppose there's some advantage in working a twenty four hour day."

"Concerned for your investment again?"

"Would you believe if I said your well-being?"

Shepard set her mug of caf down on the control panel next to her and turned to properly look at the Operative. "Joker was taking some time, but we were approaching a relay. I decided I might as well check the approach while he sleeps. There shouldn't be any problems, but better safe than sorry."

Miranda took the other seat, leaving the pilot's chair empty. "There are other crew to take care of these sorts of things."

"I find I appreciate the isolation." Shepard nodded to EDI's terminal. "Relatively speaking of course."

"Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown."

"A fan of the classics? Wait." Shepard's mouth quirked up a little. "Was that genetically implanted as well?"

"In a manner of speaking. My education was thorough under my father's direction."

"And yet nothing creative?" Shepard leaned back. "Interesting priorities."

"My father was a little more concerned with the practical."

Shepard took a drink. "Creativity is practical. You think I get my crazy ideas from officer training and basic?"

Miranda leaned forwards and examined her commander. "So where does it come from?"

"All sorts of places. Movies, history books. Sometimes videogames believe it or not. Liara was actually the one who insisted I should play them."

"You direct our battles according to videogame tactics?"

"When life resembles fiction, why not try playing along and see what happens?"

"That's certainly… one way of looking at things."

"So is there a reason for this intrusion into my caf time?"

Miranda sat back properly and watched the Relay drawing closer. "You think you're the only one who enjoys isolation?"

"Isolation with someone else?"

"Best place for it."

"You are full of surprises Ms Lawson."

"I just finished writing a report for the Illusive Man. I thought I'd take a walk to clear my head."

Shepard didn't answer that, thankfully, just carried on drinking.

"I have a question, if you don't mind."

"It would be difficult for anyone to know me better than you Miranda."

"I suppose. But this is about something a little more recent."

"Shoot."

"That whole incident with Yeoman Chambers. You reacted very badly to it."

"I suppose I did didn't I?" Shepard took a long drink and sighed, setting her mug down again. "You know much about the Alliance?"

"I've studied it extensively."

"I mean actual experience with it. Well you might now know that there's a lot of pretty-old fashioned views still hanging around in it. Alliance takes its recruits from wherever it can. Colonies, Earth, Fleet families. And most of the time people are fine, but it's a pretty big melting pot for cultures."

"And you being a colony kid didn't fit in?"

"Me being a colony kid fit in fine. It was my behaviour which…" She trailed off and rubbed her chin. "Dunno if you read the reports. After my family died, after Mindoir… I started to act out. A lot. I played pranks, I got hauled up a couple of times. Never anything serious enough to get me kicked out, and the Alliance did a lot to even out the rough edges." She grinned at that. "But there was one behaviour in particular which I got noticed for."

"Which was?"

"I enjoyed sex. A lot. With a lot of different people. Usually in a single night variety."

"And this was a problem?"

"More than you'd think. More than I knew. This was just after basic, my first posting. Most basic of the basic, protecting colony interests on Ares. It was basically fully established, they didn't need much help, already had a civilian militia, a Home Guard, full defensive capabilities. Anyway, it was a basic assignment to weed out the best officer candidates."

"So lots of down time?"

"To put it simply. I never did anything off regs, never did anything wrong by most moral codes. But half the officer cadets in my class were old school, either Fleet families or traditionalist colony kids, like Mindoir. So when word got round about what I was up to…"

"I see."

"Yeah. I didn't care at the time, I was still too wrapped up in myself. But the memory of the things that were said and done…" She picked up her mug and started toying with it. "I don't like bullies."

Miranda processed the new information for a minute, letting Shepard gather her own thoughts. "I think I see why you were so angry at the issue with Chambers."

"Yeah, I guess it pushed some buttons."

"Thank you for telling me that Shepard."

"Well you're the one who wanted to be friends."

"The others know?"

"Ashley, Gunnery Chief Williams, we talked. Liara knew. I don't think many other people on my old crew cared that much."

"Anyone from before?"

Shepard smiled, but it was hollow. "I don't think there's too many left would still call me friend. But yeah, there were a couple of other officers, when I got promoted, they didn't care. I just had the misfortune of being lumped with other colony kids when I first started. Part of the Alliance's thing about letting people get acclimated with other people who might share similar viewpoints as them."

Miranda nodded. It had been standard protocol to group colony recruits with other colony recruits, ship recruits with ship recruits and earth recruits all together so that there was less danger of two people with wildly different backgrounds interacting before they had a chance to go through the lessons about other cultures even within human civilisation. Recently the Alliance had started to forgo it, after realising just how many recruits groups like Cerberus or Terra Firma were able to cull just by finding classmates who all held the same viewpoints.

"Nonetheless, I'm glad to know this about you."

"Nothing really to know, I don't keep it secret."

"I'm not just interested in your secrets Shepard."

They heard the uneven clanking of Joker approaching the cockpit and Shepard sat properly, finishing her caf. "Thanks for the talk Miranda. Feels a bit odd to have someone approach me."

Miranda stood and nodded to Joker. "Not at all. See you later."

**AN:- **This story is now officially the longest story I have ever written at over 160,000 words (looks longer on FF net because of all the author's notes) Previous record held at 158,000 for an original fantasy work.

I never knew which way Admiral Koris would have voted. It's an interesting question. Does he realise the error of the way he's approached the trial and changed his mind, or is he still opposed to Tali? I like Koris' character, because I agree with him in all his points, but he's such a wanker about it you can't help but hate him. Contrasted to Gerrel, who's a bloodthirsty warmonger with a great personality, it's a really interesting look into how with politics you need to be careful not to be distracted by personality, but actually focus on their message. Unless of course you're supposed to support Gerrel and oppose Koris and I just misread the intention of the writers. But given the way the plot is resolved in ME3 I don't think that's the case.

I don't enjoy writing the quarians as a race very much. They don't emote the way that a writer can really express naturally. They don't smile, or look worried or concerned, it's all body language. But you can't keep writing 'their body language was confused' or 'they showed their happiness' without it sounded really forced. When it's just Tali, who Shepard knows well enough to be able to read her smile or her frown even when she's not able to see it, it's easy, but for the whole race?

I was going to include Veetor as well, but it just didn't fit to have him show up as well as Kal. Besides, I prefer writing Reegar, and he has more interesting things to say. I might put in a little nod to Veetor as a message later or something. Most of Reegar's bit was adapted from the actual conversation you have, but I added bits, changed 'em up, the usual stuff I do. I like to imagine that the relationship of Reegar and Tali was very much teacher-student friendship. I know some people who ship them but I just don't get that vibe off them. Bit of banter as well before we get off the Rayya.

I haven't really done an alternate viewpoint chapter or a Miranda report for a while, so here's to them coming back a bit. I used a couple of the previous reports for reference so if you go back you can hopefully see changes in Miranda's way of talking and reporting, which is of course caused by her loyalty shifting around. I also love the thought of having to keep up with really basic bits of red tape like name changes for official documents. Having worked as a front-desk receptionist at an international school, which obviously included lots of stuff to do with names and records, I can only imagine how difficult it would be on a galactic scale.

Given that they're supposed to be catering to galactic traffic there have to be some sorts of safety features around Mass Relays to make sure ships don't slam into each other. Even with the drift on the entrance vectors there would surely be the potential for really bad accidents. So I've mentioned a few times that there have to be people monitoring the situation even when the pilot is having rest. I wouldn't imagine Normandy has a reserve pilot, more like the sensor crew takes care of it, saving Joker for the actual manoeuvres. And of course whenever Shepard can't sleep she takes over.

The videogame thing was mostly just a nod to the fact that, y'know, these are videogames, so they're not exactly realistic military combat simulators. And of course a lot of guesswork about the Alliance, and just plain old making stuff up. A lot of these details about Shepard could also be found in my (shameless plug incoming) mature story 'Counting the Ways' on AO3, link on my profile. I promise this is the last time I'll mention the Yeoman Chambers subplot I promise. The whole thing about Shepard not liking bullies is actually a plot point, believe it or not, so I wanted to actually establish how badly she'd react, and what the reasoning for it is.

The stuff about the Alliance. It is established that people in the Alliance have bad reactions to aliens and alien culture, most of the time. So given that humanity has become so widespread it is not beyond the realm of possibility that human culture could have become so wildly different from colony to the next that two humans from two different colonies would have almost as many problems with each other as a human and an alien (imagine a human from a colony founded by puritans reacting to a human from a colony founded by hippies, for example) In order to homogenise these disparate views for military service one possible solution would be to start by grouping people by similar viewpoints, until they have been given lectures and courses in dealing with people different from you. Again this is actually something we had to do a few times for the international students in our school before they could be properly integrated, because for example some of the male students had such wildly inappropriate reactions to female students that were based in their culture having never really let them have male/female interaction (seriously) and of course for some of them the more liberal attitude towards sex was really hard to explain, which is where I got the inspiration for this particular subplot. And obviously there are downfalls in that if you group people socially who all share the same viewpoints it becomes an echo chamber that makes their views worse, not better, which is where I then got Cerberus or Terra Firma recruiting from these groups.

And of course, no canon support for any of it.


	55. Chapter 54: Assassin

**AN:- **I was mostly just blowing off steam with this one. Please note that the earlier chapter where Thane arrived was 'The Assassin.' This one is just 'Assassin.' I am in no way running out of chapter ideas after 54 of the flipping things. Definitely not.

**Chapter Fifty-Four: Assassin**

The journey out to the Ismar Frontier was one of the longest Shepard had ever been on. They only had to pass through two Relay systems, but they were spread far apart, and their trip actually ended up taking them out of their way before they could go the way they were supposed to. For the duration of the travel time Shepard decided to keep the training exercises that had started with Grunt going. They had proved useful before after all. And in every case she excused herself, so that the teams would be forced to work with each other, instead of relying on her for direction.

It was clear that in the long term the Hanger Bay would not be suitable for various heavy fire exercises, including biotic use, but she came up with other training methods, including one particularly brutal game where she ordered no biotic usage. That one ended with Jack straddling Miranda trying to 'beat the Cerberus out of her.' Jack's words of course.

Two days out she organised her most dangerous game yet. Confining the rest of the crew to the Hanger Bay for the duration (she asked Joker to set up a viewscreen with a selection of movies and real popcorn), she set up a ship-wide game of Assassin.

If nothing else, the briefing had been fun.

"Assassin?"

"It's a game Garrus, nothing serious."

Grunt growled. "Why do you insist on games Shepard? There are real enemies to fight."

"Not out in the middle of the black there aren't. We're still light years from anything resembling civilisation, and in FTL space. So we're playing a game."

"What exactly would this game entail?" Thane had been very interested when she mentioned the name.

She pulled the sheet off the table she was standing next to, revealing the rack of training pistols. "You know these I think. They fire non-lethal slugs in various varieties. These have been configured to paint slugs with nanomachines. You get hit with one and you can't use any of the weapons until you've been purged. So no cheating."

"And the object of the game is to 'tag' the other players?" Garrus was grinning now.

"Precisely. You have ten minutes before they become active to establish barricades or hide or whatever it is you want to do. Certain areas of the ship have obviously been locked down to prevent damage, and I have to ask you not to try and break into them. EDI is watching after all." The hologram flickered on next to her in the shape of an eye. Specifically it looked like the Eye of Sauron. Shepard shook her head, suspecting Joker's influence again.

"We have scattered other weapons throughout the ship, so you can always find new ones if you don't like the pistols. Last man standing wins, EDI will keep everyone appraised of the situation, and once you are out you can go down to the hanger bay where they will be security camera footage showing how the battle's going."

"This sounds pretty fuckin' sweet." Jack was eyeing Miranda again. "We get to just treat the ship like a battlefield?"

"No biotics. No damaging the ship. No trying to use real weapons and obviously if anyone gets too physical." She spared a moment to look at Grunt as well. "Then I switch to rubber bullets."

"Wait." Garrus had cocked his head over to one side. "You switch?"

"Oh yeah, that's the other thing." Shepard picked one of the guns off the table and racked a heat sink. "I'm playing this time." She headed for the elevator, which EDI had timed perfectly to open for her. "Good luck," she said as the doors closed, and she was granted one brief second of watching them all scrabble to grab a gun.

"Locations randomised EDI?"

"Affirmative Shepard. Joker worked with Engineers Donnelly and Daniels to best hide weapons and power-ups around the ship."

"Wonderful." The doors pinged open on the Crew's Quarters and she hurried out, heading for the cryo pods. She had just slid herself under the decking when the elevator pinged again and she heard someone running out. There was very little noise as the person left, which suggested Kasumi, and sure enough a second later the thief came into her sightline.

Kasumi looked left and right coming through the door, then disappeared towards lounge. Shepard grinned. She was making it almost too easy. A moment later there was another ping and someone else came through, male by the heavier footsteps, and a moment later Jacob came into view. He headed for the battery, only to find it locked, and started to run back the other way. The gun in his hands started to flash as the countdown began, and Shepard looked down to see hers flashing as well.

He stopped in the mess hall and looked around, then grabbed a chair and ducked into the kitchen, clearly hoping for some sort of barricade. Unfortunately it would do nothing to protect him from an attack from behind and above. Which was naturally her perfect position.

Her gun pulsed softly green, then the indicator light went out, allowed her to move without risking being spotted. She slid herself slowly back out from the decking, watching carefully until she could see the top of Jacob's head, clearly looking the wrong way, back towards the elevator. Grinning she pulled herself the rest of the way out, absolutely silent as she crouched behind one of the cryo pods.

She crossed to the side nearest the kitchen and drew her pistol, thankful that she already had it unfolded, or else the sound of it opening might have alerted him. She slid closer, testing each step to make sure her boots wouldn't squeak, or the metal wouldn't groan and give her away. Back in basic she had been one of the infiltration specialists, and although her skills hadn't exactly been tested against the geth she still had most of her moves.

When she was within ten feet she sighted the pistol on his lower back, grinning at how easy it was. He had a pistol in hand as well, and had it sighted towards the dining table, concentration palpable on his face. She breathed slow and silent, squeezing the trigger and watching the paint splatter on the back of his uniform. He whirled round and instinct took over as she pumped another two rounds into his chest. His finger tightened on the trigger as well but the nanomachines had already shut it down.

"Jacob Taylor has been eliminated." EDI's voice emanated right round the Normandy, making Shepard grin. Jacob shook his head, trying to look mad but failing.

"First the poker night now this?" He put the pistol down on the floor. "I think I need to re-evaluate my life."

She collected his pistol and added it to her belt. "See you in the hanger Taylor."

As he headed for the elevator she checked the cupboards in the kitchen, unearthing a submachine gun. Her implants identified it as a 'Punisher.' As she unfolded it and noted the shape she shook her head. Clearly Joker had had something to do with this.

She kept the pistol out and moved through towards the elevator. Only Jack was now on this floor, bunkered down somewhere near the lounge. Shepard considered flushing her out and decided against it. There would definitely have been another weapon hidden in the lounge, and it would be heavily defensible, with the bar and the sofas. The best option would be to wait Kasumi out. Once it became clear she was safe she would probably try and hunt people down.

Decision made Shepard headed for the elevator instead, but the second before she pushed the button the swoosh of a door alerted her to danger, she took an instinctive step back and swung the submachine gun up to see Kasumi emerging from the toilets, pistol in hand, clearly trying to creep up on her. They stood there for a second, frozen by the sheer absurdity of it.

"Crap."

Shepard opened fire, covering the front of Kasumi's outfit with paint and forcing her back into the toilets, the doors wishing closed on her a second later.

Imagining the look of absolute joy on Joker's face when he replayed the scenario which had just panned out Shepard reloaded and headed for the bathroom. "Kasumi Goto has been eliminated." She opened the door to see Kasumi sitting on the toilet, grinning beneath the hood.

"Forgot the door made a noise. Careless."

"Happens to the best of us." Shepard reached behind her to find exactly what had been expecting, a pistol hidden behind the toilet. _Joker you are too predictable._ She didn't bother taking it, two pistols being more than enough for her, but she did remove the firing mechanism and chuck it into the sink. If someone was determined enough they could make it work, but it was otherwise useless.

"See you down there then."

"Zaeed Massani has been eliminated."

Shepard looked up in surprise at that. She had expected Zaeed to be one of the last ones standing, unless of course he had run into someone like Grunt or Thane early. She grinned at the thought of his outraged look.

Kasumi took the elevator first while Shepard hid just next to it, her submachine gun trained on the door. When it opened again there was no one on board though, and she stepped on, selecting the engineering level. As it started to move she crouched down in a corner next to the door and trained her gun there, just in case, but when it opened there was no sign of anyone.

Not taking any chances, she activated her omni-tool and selected the photo option, sticking her arm out for a second and triggering it. When she drew her arm back she had a good picture of both side of the hall, and there seemed to be no one there. She snuck out onto the floor properly, sweeping her gun left and right, and crept down towards the starboard cargo area.

The door opened and immediately a hail of paint met her. Thankfully she had been standing one side so it all missed her, but she was forced to press right up against the wall, a sitting duck for anyone inside.

"You ain't gonna get me fucker." Jack, of course. And by the sounds of things she had found an assault rifle. Shepard began to back away slowly down the hall, gun trained on the open door. She reached the door to engineering just as Jack's head appeared. She unleashed a stream of bullets which deflected off a shield. "Nice try Shep." Jack raised her rifle. "Not good enough."

The door behind Shepard opened just as Jack fired and she allowed herself to fall backwards through it, crashing to the floor. The paint went right over her head and she kicked backwards into the passage, hearing Jack sprinting towards her. Before Shepard could get to her feet the other door opened and she looked up to see Samara staring down at her.

Samara swung her pistol up to aim at Shepard's chest but before she could pull the trigger Jack skidded into view, also seeing the asari and raising the rifle to unleash a burst of fire. Not one bullet hit and she dropped the rifle, drawing her pistol just as Samara sighted on her. Jack's shield absorbed another two shots before flickering out, and that gave her enough time to target Samara, they fired together and paint burst across their chests in unison.

"Samara has been eliminated. Jack has been eliminated."

"Fuck!" Jack threw her weapon hard at the ground. "I wanted this to be me and you Shepard."

Lying on the ground staring up at an angry biotic Shepard could only shrug. "Maybe next time Jack."

"Yeah right." She turned in disgust to head for the elevator. "Fucking lucky bitch."

Samara was gracious enough to help Shepard to her feet. "It seems luck favours you often Commander. I hope this speaks for our own chances."

"Me too."

"Mordin Solus has been eliminated."

Apparently most of the action was happening up at the CiC. She guessed that Grunt and Garrus were both there, probably Thane as well. She collected her thoughts and moved through into the engineering section. It was unlikely there were any players there, but she did find a shield module tucked away behind Tali's terminal.

Most of engineering had been closed off for obvious reasons, but she made a quick sweep of the port cargo hold and Jack's hidey hole, but there was nothing there. She headed for the elevator, triggering the shield module and watching the field materialise before her. She got into the same hiding place as before, but as she expected no one was waiting for the elevator. She checked left and right again, then crept into the CiC.

Her shield sparked and she dropped to the floor, commando crawling out of the way.

"How you doing Commander?"

She leaned back against her terminal and checked her pistol. "You found a sniper rifle then Garrus?"

Another shot whistled over her head. "What do you think?"

"I think you don't want to try and outsnipe me Garrus. You know I'm better than you."

"Well sure, but do you have a sniper rifle?"

She leaned out slightly, just enough to make out his prone form, hunched over a rifle. She yanked her head back as another shot flew by, splattering against the far wall.

"Maybe I don't need a sniper rifle."

"Good luck with that Shepard."

She stuck the submachine gun over the top and opened fire, running for the armoury as she did so. A shot blasted against the wall next to her just as she ran through to the sound of gunfire. She dropped to the ground and reloaded as fast as she could. Thankfully the two people fighting in the room hadn't noticed her. Miranda and Grunt were on opposite sides of the armoury, Grunt armed only with a pistol and Miranda with a submachine gun. Grunt was forced to stay behind cover as Miranda poured fire towards him, but she couldn't risk leaving cover either.

As Shepard watched Grunt overextended himself, standing just as Miranda finished reloading. She unloaded the entire clip into him, paint splashing up onto his chin and over his arms. He cursed and threw his pistol down, stomping out past Shepard. Miranda turned to see Shepard standing there, aiming her pistol for Miranda's stomach. EDI announced Grunt's exist.

"Couldn't just let me have ten seconds to enjoy it?"

Shepard fired twice, ruining the white jumpsuit with green paint. "Sorry Miranda."

"Miranda Lawson has been eliminated."

Miranda handed the gun over. "Just win this alright? Prove me right."

"I'll do my best." Shepard checked the submachine gun and reloaded it, then added the pistol to her back and moved through to the conference room with the submachine guns out. She opened the door and checked inside, not seeing anyone. She slipped into the room and staggered back as a shotgun blast caught her in the stomach. She looked down to see orange paint staining her uniform, then up to see Tali stepping out from where she had been hiding behind the door jamb.

"Maia Shepard has been eliminated."

"Sorry Shepard."

"I cannot believe you just got me!" Shepard grinned and threw her hands up. "That is just not fair."

"Sorry."

"You said that already." Shepard shook her head and put her guns down on the conference table. "Garrus is holed up in the cockpit. He's armed with a sniper rifle. You'll never get past him."

"Then what do I do?"

"You're telling me the best engineer on the Normandy never had an opportunity to check out the plating under the decks?" Shepard nodded to her. "Maybe wait until Garrus and Thane have had a chance to have a go at each other first though."

"Yes Shepard. Thanks."

Shepard winked and headed back out to the elevator.

The ride down to the hanger bay was quick enough, and no more announcements were made while she was in there. She walked out to see most of the crew gathered around an enormous monitor which was displaying security feeds from around the ship. They were currently watching the main CiC feed as Tali pried up one of the deck plates and slipped beneath it.

"Your idea Commander?" Miranda asked as Shepard sat down next to her.

"How did you guess?"

"Jacob told me how you dealt with him."

"She's not gonna do any permanent damage to the ship is she?"

"Don't worry Donnelly, we'll put everything back right when the game's over."

"Wait." Jack turned back to frown at her. "We?"

"Yeah Jack. We did the damage, we clean up the mess."

"This contact paint's easy enough to shift," Garden said. "Just takes a special typa solvent."

"If you're all done," Grunt muttered. They turned to see what he was looking at, and saw a shape moving into position behind Garrus.

"That's not Tali," Miranda said.

"Did we really think Thane would stay out the whole game?"

Thane moved into position behind Garrus, raising his pistol and sighting carefully. Somehow, impossibly, Garrus seemed to hear him, and twisted to avoid the shot, throwing the rifle for Thane's head. The assassin dodged the rifle and fired again, the shot hitting the deck inches from Garrus' hand. The two men stepped back, Thane sighting as best he could while Garrus drew his pistol.

He managed to dodge another shot from Thane, then his own pistol was up and firing. Thane whirled out of the way, his coat flying. Gunshots rang out in the confined space and paint covered the walls around both men, until all of sudden it went silent.

"Garrus Vakarian has been eliminated."

Thane nodded, reloading and walking back down to the CiC, pausing a few feet down and putting a round through the deck at his feet.

"Tali'Zorah vas Normandy has been eliminated." There was a brief pause, then, "Thane Krios is the winner."

"Oh you've got to be kidding."

"Are you really that surprised Jack? He's a master assassin after all." Shepard got to her feet and sighed. "Come on people, time to start the cleanup."

Zaeed was grumbling all the way to the elevator. "I could've taken him if the big lizard hadn't got in my way."

Grunt just laughed.

Shepard covered her own smile. "Maybe next time Zaeed. Maybe next time."

**AN:-** This was a lot of fun to write really. I just threw in references, character bits, possibly even a little foreshadowing. Although as to what exactly, I'm not telling.

I honestly don't know whether I'm writing Jack and Miranda as genuinely hating each other, teeth-gritted teamwork or slap/slap/kiss anymore. It could be any of the above and I cannot figure out which one I am going for.

I don't know why but I was overcome with the urge to write Shepard like Malcolm Reynolds all of sudden. She's done it before, so let's just pretend I'm doing it deliberately for whenever she's being fun-loving prankster Shepard instead of grizzled space marine Shepard, who sounds exactly like Wedge Antilles in the EU.

Spoiler for Pulp Fiction ahead. Shepard finds a Punisher submachine gun (actually from ME3 but it fits the joke better) in the kitchen. She then uses it to shoot Kasumi as she's coming out of the bathroom. This is because of all the submachine guns the Punisher most visually resemble a Mac-10 machine pistol, which is used in the scene where Bruce Willis shoots John Travolta in Pulp Fiction. There's also a pistol in the toilet because there's a scene in the Godfather where a pistol is hidden in the toilet. Joker's a movie buff.

I definitely didn't want Shepard to win, or to eliminate all the others, or even a majority of them. The problem is that with such a small crew it's kind of inevitable that either some people won't eliminate anyone, and some people will get more kills. The total count is as follows:

Shepard: Jacob, Kasumi, Miranda

Thane: Garrus, Tali, Mordin (Garrus thinks he was the one to eliminate Mordin. Thane timed his shot to fool Garrus into thinking there was no one else there)

Grunt: Zaeed

Miranda: Grunt

Tali: Shepard

And obviously Samara and Jack did each other.

Which obviously does bring up a lot of questions. What would happen if they had run into different people. Could Shepard have taken Thane? Could Zaeed have been more effective if he didn't run into Grunt pretty much immediately?

Anyone, this was just a bit of fun really. Back to the story with the next chapter.


	56. Chapter 55: The Price of Revenge

**AN:- **I know I've mentioned this before but I don't like Zaeed.

**Chapter Fifty-Five: The Price of Revenge**

Zorya was one of the most beautiful places Shepard had seen. Rather than the stark icy bleakness of a world like Noveria or the austere sculpture of the Citadel it had a pure and natural feel. As they stepped off the shuttle and felt the waves of heat wash over them she felt truly that she had stepped on another world. So many colonies and planets were terraformed to be as close to earth normal as possible, and to provide the best fit for the humans who would have to live and work there. Zorya felt like something else.

Possibly it was the combination of the jungle and her deep abiding love of terrible adventure movies. Half of the _Alec Thorne_ movies had taken place in jungles, along with most of the _Salyr Calizors_. Apparently jungles were a big deal for movie producers. And now walking out into one she felt like she had stepped back into some forgotten relic of history.

Then Zaeed stepped up next to her and spat into the dirt, somewhat ruining the illusion.

"I've been waiting for this for a long time."

"The mission isn't your personal revenge Zaeed. There are workers held hostage here. We get them out, do you understand me?"

"Yeah I understand." He unfolded his rifle and stomped off into the underbrush without another word.

"Cheerful man isn't he?"

Despite the river of antibiotics she had pumped into her system Tali still sounded like she had a cold. Shepard turned and grinned at her. "You could have stayed on the ship."

"And enjoy another day scrubbing the coolants? I don't think so."

Garrus was next to her, scanning the treeline. "This world more than makes up for his bad attitude. Of course it's also a perfect place for an ambush."

"Just get after him. Make sure he doesn't get himself killed."

"Aye aye Commander." The two moved off into the forest, leaving only Miranda still to come, locking down the shuttle and joining Shepard.

"Glad to be back out in the field?"

She nodded, drawing her submachine gun. "Are you sure you can handle Massasni?"

"Oh ye of little faith." Shepard drew her pistol and they moved down the path, following a trail stamped flat by dozens of boots.

"Got something here Shepard." Garrus had stopped a little way ahead of them. "Looks like bodies."

When Shepard came round the corner she saw Zaeed bending over the corpses, checking them for heat sinks and weapons. "Shot in the back and left to rot," he said as she drew level with him. "That's definitely Vido's style." He activated his omni-tool. "That should give us communications. We'll hear the bastards coming."

Shepard nodded to Garrus, who moved on ahead.

As they pushed through the thick jungle the local wildlife started to take an interest in them, mainly pyjaks that swarmed all over the strange creatures, pawing at their weapons and the various pouches on their armour.

"Reminds me of that mess with the data module," Garrus said. "You remember, we had to go ferreting around in a mine and one of these damn things had eaten it?"

Shepard grimaced at the memory. "I remember having to shove my hand halfway down a pyjak's mouth to retrieve the thing."

"Good times."

The hacked frequency sprang to life all at once, a harsh voice barking out orders. "Command to bravo, take a position. Likely these people are not runaways.

Miranda sighed. "What a surprise, stealth failed us again."

"It's just Blue Suns, nothing we haven't handled before."

"Just Blue Suns," Zaeed snorted. "You know that name used to mean something."

They stepped out from the dense tree cover and immediately a bullet sparked off his shield. He growled and ducked back into cover. "Can't even hit a goddamn sitting duck."

Shepard dragged out her sniper rifle and leaned very slightly out to see mercenaries lining up against heavy tree roots and several low walls. Garrus hurried past her, covered by Zaeed's assault rifle fire. Most of the mercs had ducked but she watched one overconfident guy standing and firing back. She shook her head and found him in her scope, hitting him in the neck joint of his armour.

"It's like they want us to shoot them," Zaeed said as he switched to his sniper rifle as well. Shepard glanced back to see Tali and Miranda doing something with Tali's omni-tool. She left them to it and turned back to the fight, capping another merc through the faceplate as they popped up to fire at Zaeed.

He was laughing in the most creepy way Shepard had ever heard. "Fish in a barrel!"

As he dropped back to reload Tali stepped round him and waved her omni-tool, triggering some sort of program. Shepard couldn't figure out what she had done, but a second later all of the Blue Suns staggered out of their hiding places holding their helmets. It was child's play to drop them all before they could fall back.

"What was that?" Shepard asked as they collected heat sinks and checked for survivors.

"I was working on a program to mass disrupt the geth and stumbled on a feedback loop. It won't work on geth yet, but since we already had their communications tapped I thought I'd give it a try."

"Neat trick," Garrus said. "You might want to fire it up again."

A missile swept past them and exploded against the side of the refinery. They dived for cover and saw half a dozen more Blue Suns running towards them, along with a FENRIR mech. Shepard ignored that, focusing instead on the woman at the back trying to ram a missile into the launcher. She waited until the blue light indicated it was primed and fired her rifle, hitting the rocket right on the tip.

The resulting explosion engulfed both the wielder and the mercenary nearest to her, reducing them to smears of red on the grass. Shepard checked the situation as she reloaded and realised her team had already dropped the others. The FENRIR lay on the ground at Miranda's feet sparking from a dozen holes, still pawing at the air as though it was an actual dog.

Zaeed was checking the communication line. "We've got 'em on the run," he reported. "Full retreat ordered, they're falling back to the refinery gate."

Shepard shouldered her rifle and grinned. "It'd be a shame to keep them waiting."

They double timed it through the forest, the path much easier to follow as they approached the refinery proper. Ahead Shepard saw the flash of blue armour and reached for her pistol but it had already disappeared into the undergrowth. There was a mechanical whine from ahead and as they burst into another open area they were forced to a halt as a bridge retracted before them, leaving an impassable chasm that stretched at least a half mile down.

"Tali."

"On it Shepard."

Zaeed was back listening to the comm feed, but he played it through his speakers after a moment.

"This is Commander Santiago." The voice was similar to Zaeed, albeit with a different accent. That same hard edge though. "If any of you retreat while the intruders are still alive I'll kill you myself. Now get the hell back out there."

"Vido," Zaeed confirmed. "Sounds like he hasn't changed."

"I get the feeling you have a past with this Vido."

"I knew he was a sadistic bastard back when we started the Blue Suns." She fought to keep her face clear of emotion. She hadn't figured on him having that sort of a past. "The Suns only got meaner after he staged his little coup twenty years ago. So yeah. We have a past."

"Why didn't anyone tell me you founded the Blue Suns?"

"Because it's not common knowledge. Vido wiped me out of the records. He ran the books, I led the men. Worked real well for a while. Then Vido decided to start hiring batarians. Cheaper labour he said. Goddamn terrorists I said."

_You and your poor bleeding heart. _"Twenty years is a long time to hold a grudge."

"A grudge." He stepped up close and towered over her, making full use of his height and bulk. She stood her ground easily. He had nothing on a krogan, or a Thresher. "Vido turned my men against me. He paid six of them to restrain me while he put a gun to my head and pulled the trigger. For twenty years I've seen that bastard every time I close my eyes, every time I sighted down on a target, every time I heard a gunshot. Don't you call that a goddamn grudge."

"You survived a gunshot to the head?" _Explains your sunny disposition._

"Yeah. And you survived your ship getting disintegrated. A stubborn enough person can survive just about anything. Rage is a hell of an anaesthetic."

She felt bile rise in her throat at being compared to him. Rage had nothing to do with why she came back. Thankfully she was spared responding by the bridge opening up as Tali finished hacking it. "We'd better get moving."

Zaeed and Garrus led over the bridge while Shepard followed behind with Miranda and Tali at her sides. She had started the mission with misgivings about Zaeed, now they had blossomed into full-blown distrust.

Despite the shouting from Vido to rally his men they met no one else as they ran through the jungle, chasing after Zaeed as he beat a path through the foliage.

Tali kept the comm link open as they ran, and Shepard was able to make out an order through the noise.

"They're at the southern access. All squads, mass at the gatehouse, now."

"They know where we are," Miranda said. "He must have eyes on us somehow."

They rounded a corner and found the gate Vido must have been talking about. It was an enormous two story block of dull brown metal, already rusting from the exposure to the jungle environment. Nearly a dozen mercenaries were clustered on the second floor, and a dozen more on their level. Their only cover if it came to a gunfight would be a few scattered crates for shifting whatever materials they could mine from the world. It was exactly the situation every soldier had nightmares about.

One of the mercenaries on the upper level stepped forwards and grinned. "Zaeed Massani. You finally tracked me down." She had been expecting someone as grizzled as Zaeed, but aside from a scar on his cheek Vido was almost handsome. Definitely older, but she didn't think he was as old as Zaeed.

"Vido."

"Don't be stupid Zaeed. I have a whole company of bloodthirsty bastards behind me. Ready to kill or be killed on my command." His smile got wider and more predatory. "Actually, take your shot. Give my men a reason to put you down like the mad dog you are." He leaned forwards and the smile became a smirk. "Again."

Shepard looked over and saw the change hit Zaeed, the sudden certainty that no amount of words would turn him away from.

"Oh my god," she said, already reaching for her pistol.

Zaeed's rifle was off his back in a second, firing in the next. The rounds flew right past Vido, but the shock of the attack kept the mercenaries from firing back for a crucial second. Shepard snapped a shot and hit one of them high in the leg. Moving for the scant cover to her right she fired again and caught another in the stomach, dropping him to the floor. Beside her Miranda's submachine gun roared and forced the mercenaries to drop further back, giving them the crucial seconds they needed to get to safety.

"What was that?" Vido yelled from the upper level. "Gone near-sighted old friend?"

Zaeed leaned out of cover and Shepard was just able to make out what he said. "Burn you son of a bitch."

Another shot ran out and there was a massive explosion from above, throwing a merc right over the rails to land with a sick crunch in the ground below. Shepard sneaked a look to see a massive fuel tank on fire behind Vido, but the mercenary leader was already back on his feet and screaming again.

"You just signed your death warrant Massani!"

Zaeed roared at him, sprinting from cover to a set of pipes. The Blue Suns opened fire and his shields flared. "Cover him!" Shepard yelled, leaning out with her submachine gun and peppering them with bullets. "What the hell are you doing?" She shouted to Zaeed, who was hammering at a valve on the pipes.

Another huge explosion rippled over them, knocking Shepard to the ground. When she pulled herself up she saw that the gate was in bits across the jungle, flaming debris that had scattered everywhere, including one piece which had come dangerously close to impaling Garrus. A dozen burning bodies lay with the scrap, but none of them looking like Vido.

"Just opening the gate," Zaeed said with his typical sneer, marching back to her.

"We do not sacrifice lives for the sake of the mission." He actually recoiled at the fury in her voice. "There's always a better way."

"Like what?" He covered his momentary fear with anger easily enough. "Wandering out in the jungle for two hours looking for another way in? You want to waste time out here go ahead, I'm gonna kill Vido."

"The mission is to save these workers, not burn them to death." There was a deeper rumble from within the refinery. Tali was saying something that got drowned out by Zaeed's response.

"I came here to kill Vido Santiago. You want my help on your mission, you'd better make damn sure that man dies today."

She took a step forward, reigning in her temper as much as she could manage. "Stick to the mission Zaeed, or we're going to have a problem."

Uncertainty flickered for a moment behind his eyes, replaced quickly with bluster. "I think maybe we already do. I want Vido dead Shepard, whatever the cost."

It was a struggle to resist the urge to punch him. Instead she turned on her heel and marched through the wrecked gate. Tali was at her side.

"We have a problem Shepard. That fuel line has caused a reaction within the refinery."

"What does that mean?"

There was a blast of heat nearby and Shepard looked over to see a chimney stack falling from the side of the building to plummet down to the jungle floor, flame streaming from every crack and break.

"Never mind."

Boots rattled on a catwalk above them and she twisted, pistol in hand, pulling it back when she saw a man dressed as a worker. "Help! We're trapped! We can't get to the gas valves to shut them off. This whole place is going to blow."

Zaeed was at her side, pushing Tali out of the way. "No time. Vido's probably halfway to the shuttle docks by now."

"You're willing to watch these people die?"

"Damn right I am. We stop to help these people and Vido gets away. And if he gets away I'm blaming you."

She met his anger with all the disdain she could muster. "We're here to free these people. We're going in."

"I knew this was a mistake." He waved her away. "Do what you want, I'm getting Vido." And he ran towards the nearer door, clearly marked for the shuttle bay.

"Ignore him," Shepard said. "Save the refinery."

She vaulted over the rails to the lower level, waiting until everyone else had followed her before heading for the door.

"Need a bypass Tali."

"On it."

They were through in seconds, finding a steep set of stairs leading up. Despite the temperature controls of her suits and with no obvious signs of danger the increase in heat was still noticeable as they reached the top. Mindful of the dangers of opening doors in burning buildings Shepard made sure everyone was well clear before she triggered it. A gout of flame shot from the door, hot enough to trigger her shields. She didn't wait for them to recharge, pushing ahead into the room.

It was entirely ablaze, and almost immediately she found a body charred beyond recognition. Thankfully it seemed that there were still safe zones, and with their armour and shields they would be better protected than the workers who had died there. She turned to find Tali already at her side.

"We need to redirect the fuel, that should buy us some time."

"Where are the fuel controls?"

Tali didn't answer, pushing forwards with her omni-tool out before her. Shepard followed behind, latching onto her belt to make sure she didn't lose Tali in the dense smoke that was filling the room. She felt something grab her from behind and turned to see Miranda holding her belt as well, Garrus bringing up the rear.

They stayed crouched low to the ground to keep away from the worst of the smoke but even so it invaded Shepard's suit, the sheer density enough to break through the filters and make every lungful taste of ash and heat. She was soaked in sweat, the body stocking drenched, and still the heat poured through every crack, heating the ceramic plates almost to their breaking point. It was hotter than she could have imagined.

Ahead of her Tali stopped suddenly, and they crouched in their bizarre conga line as Tali did something on her omni-tool. A moment later the flame that had been pouring from their left disappeared entirely, revealing it had been gushing from a fractured pipe line. It didn't do much to quell the heat though, and Tali pressed on grimly without a word, omni-tool held before her like Rudolph's red nose.

Shepard shook her head. If she was thinking like that there was a good chance the smoke was making her light-headed. She couldn't afford delirium now. She manoeuvred her hand down to press the water button on her armour and a squirt of ice cold water hit her on the lips. She spread it across the inside of her mouth as best she could, then triggered it again to drink some of it. It was at best an emergency feature though, and wouldn't sustain her if the fire kept up.

Tali stopped again and a few second later another fuel line went quiet, and this time the effect was noticeable. With the two main fuel lines no longer scorching the air around them the smoke cleared a little, and the heat dropped from hellish to merely unbearable. There was no time to rest though, and Tali headed for what was hopefully the final control.

Shepard felt the pressure on her belt loosen and turned to see Miranda swaying slightly, her head bowed and her grip weakening. Shepard reached back with her other hand and grabbed Miranda's fingers, squeezing them tightly. The contact seemed to wake Miranda up and she jerked her head up to meet Shepard's eyes through the helmet. She managed a faint smile and tightened their grip, leaving Shepard to lead her by the hand.

Tali stopped by a set of stairs and leaned heavily against the rails as she worked. The final fuel line closed, but the smoke remained, resting heavily in the room. Shepard took the lead, urging Tali up the stairs while half-dragging Miranda at the same time. She forced them right up to the top where they found a catwalk shrouded in smoke.

She could hear the voices of the workers. "Upstairs! The extinguishing system is upstairs! The doors won't open 'til the fires out."

Shepard tried to move but she was being weighted down, she turned to see Miranda and Tali had both collapsed to the floor, Garrus on his hands and knees trying to crawl towards her. Through the fog that was clouding her brain she realised their only chance was the extinguisher system, but she would have to do that on her own.

She forced one foot forwards, then another, her entire world condensing to the next inch of floor space. The smoke was so thick around her she couldn't be sure it was actually inside her helmet. Her vision had tunnelled to the point she could barely make out her own feet, the rest all a dark blur.

Her hands came to a stop on something and she collapsed against a computer terminal, keeping herself upright through sheer stubborn determination to not fall down. One big flashing button annoyed her injured senses the most so she stabbed it to make it go away, dropping to her knees as she did so.

A new noise intruded on her, like a hammering on her head. She shook herself to try and clear it but it wouldn't go away. Her hand moved of its own accord and jabbed the helmet release button.

Cold water hit her like a taser gun to the spine. She gasped and dropped to all floors, coughing and heaving as her lungs struggled to clear the smoke they had inhaled. Over the extinguisher's rain she could hear the sound of industrial fans activating as well, clearing out the rest of the smoke. She went to scrub her face but realised her gloves were covered in soot and grime. Thankfully the water soon cleared the stains and she was able to run a hand over her face.

Staggering back to her team she realised she had barely needed to move ten feet to reach the controls. It had felt like ten miles at the time. She dropped to her knees next to Miranda and rolled the woman over to see her awake and alert, coughing a little behind her mask. A quick tug removed it and she breathed easily again.

"Thank you Shepard."

"No problem."

She moved to Tali, who was curled into a ball and breathing shallowly, her chest barely rising and falling. Shepard froze, trying to remember anything she could about quarian suit mechanics. "Tali, I need you to tell me what to do. How do I fix this?"

The only response was a strangled wheeze. Shepard felt panic beginning to overtake her when a rough hand shoved her aside and Garrus' armour came into view as he bent down and pushed a button on the side of Tali's belt.

Smoke vented from several ports across the suit and spiralled up to be sucked away by the filtration system. Tali's breathing immediately became clearer and she uncurled a little. Garrus sat back with a heavy sigh, his own helmet in his hands.

"Emergency vent system," he said to Shepard. "Flushes absolutely everything."

"Right." Shepard leaned against a rail and trying to calm her pounding heart. "Good to know."

After several agonising minutes they were all mobile again, though Tali was still wheezing a little. There was a door in the far side which had been locked before, but with the fires out it opened to let them through. Below they could see the workers rushing out of an emergency exit.

Miranda leaned up against the wall and took several breaths. "Zaeed?"

Shepard nodded. "We need to find him."

"Where?"

Tali was examining her omni-tool. "He'll be on the lower level to us."

"Right. Show us where Tali."

They made there way through into some sort of control room, two Blue Suns waiting for them. Shepard didn't even bother to find cover, putting three rounds from the Carnifax into one while the other was ripped apart by the combined fire from her team. He dropped a deadly looking weapon that her implants informed her was called an M-451 Firestorm. She grabbed it and chucked it to Garrus, who grinned as he examined it.

"This should make a big bang."

Vido was back on the speakers, ranting at Zaeed.

"I think Zaeed found him," Tali said.

"He's gotta be facing half the damn army on his own." Shepard bit back a curse. "Fine, let's go save him."

They hurried through into a gigantic refinery room filled with explosions and gunfire. Above them two fuel tanks were swaying back and forth on automated rails, shooting out fuel from a dozen holes. Every so often a round would ignite the flames and a pillar of fire would light up the ground. She spotted Zaeed almost at once, hunkered down behind a desk that was being reduced to scrap metal.

She took in the whole situation within a single step into the room, and was moving to action with the next. "Garrus, lay down heavy fire. Miranda, support Zaeed, Tali, do something about those fuel tanks." She swung her rifle off her back and went down on one knee, firing the second she saw a helmet in her scope.

The blitz attack confused the Blue Suns enough for Miranda to get Zaeed back to some heavier cover. Garrus was laying down a near constant stream of fire which forced the mercs towards the back of the room. There were still way too many for them to fight, but a moment later Tali triggered the alert and they ducked for cover.

The fuel tanks disengaged from their cradles and dropped to the ground, splitting open on impact and allowing the flame to reach the fuel inside. Both tanks ripped apart, throwing shrapnel around the room and incinerating at least half a dozen mercs at once. They screamed for a moment before dying, and Shepard shook at the noise.

Vido had stopped ranting, which didn't seem like a good sign. Zaeed stood and started to run forwards, ignoring the fire peppering his shields. "He's getting away Shepard."

Thankfully she didn't have to give the order, her team moving to support him without a word. She set her sniper rifle again and shot a rocket-launcher wielding man through the chest a second before he blew Zaeed away. His finger tightened on the trigger as he died and the errant rocket blasted another mercenary to bits.

Shepard stood and began to run, switching to her submachine gun on the run and putting on a burst of speed as Zaeed disappeared through the far door. Anyone left in the refinery could be handled by the other three, but she could only imagine the ambush Vido had prepared on the landing pad.

What she found instead was a gunship already lifting off. Zaeed roared into the air, raising his rifle.

Vido got one final parting shot as his ship took off for orbit. "Not this time Zaeed you son of a bitch. See you in another twenty years."

Zaeed fired, still screaming at the top of his lungs. The rifle ran empty, clicking over several times. Shepard ran up beside him. "He's gone Zaeed."

The mercenary turned on her, slamming a new heat sink into his rifle. She quick drew her pistol on him, aimed for his heart.

"You just cost me twenty years of my life!"

She stepped round him, trying not to draw attention to the heat sink rolling towards the puddle of fuel right next to him. His finger tightened on the trigger, but before he could fire it went up in a massive fireball that knocked him to the ground and burnt right through his shields. She took another few paces back as he grabbed for his rifle, bringing it up. The fuel was still burning though, and a moment later there was another explosion that dropped a girder right down on top of him.

"Argh!" He struggled to move, but the girder held him tight. "Son of a bitch, argh!"

"You alright?" She kept most of the sarcasm out of her voice.

"What the hell do you care? Now come on, get me out of this shithole."

"I'm not sure I need a man like you on my ship."

"If you didn't need me Cerberus wouldn't have paid my fee." _And why did they?_ "I'll do what I was paid to do, nothing more, nothing less. Now stop screwing around let's go."

She stepped forwards, considering her options. The other three still hadn't caught up with them. There was nothing to stop her from just telling them he had died in the gunfight. "You put your own goals ahead of the mission, that's not how this works."

"I've survived this long watching my own back. No time to worry about anyone else."

She pushed her pistol into his forehead. "We're a team Zaeed. There's no way we can do this unless we're all working together."

"You." He dropped his head and growled. "You have a point. I'm not done with Vido, but I can put that behind me long enough to get your mission done." She nodded and stepped round him, grabbing hold of the beam and lifting it enough so that he could crawl out. "Let's get the hell out of here."

She looked back to see Miranda emerging from the refinery, giving her the all clear signal. Shepard signalled back. "Let's get out of here Zaeed."

"Shepard."

He led the way, but as they made their way back through the jungle she still couldn't shake the worries that had been building up ever since he stepped on board. _What the hell am I going to do now?_

**AN:- **I just really don't like him. At all. He fits all of the character types I don't like and none of the ones I do that might redeem him. He has the cold assassin thing like Thane, but no deep philosophical uncertainties. He has the stoic warrior thing of Wrex or Jacob or Javik, but no underlying daddy issues or deep emotional trauma relating to their racial history. Zaeed's an angry mercenary, nothing more.

I did a bit more making crap up about quarian in specific and armour in general. I think that while they obviously have filters and stuff on their helmets to keep things out, they can't be one hundred percent effective, which means that in a world with a heavy pollen count someone with severe allergies, like Tali, will suffer hayfever symptoms. And of course a room which is completely engulfed in smoke would still get through. I know that nowadays we have masks that can keep smoke out for firefighters, but those are connected to an external oxygen supply. So I imagine a similar concept would still exist. If they had a full face mask with external oxygen they'd be fine, but they don't, they're using a helmet with filters to breathe whatever's in the air. And if there's nothing but smoke in the air...

In general that sequence was really fun to write. Anyone's who's ever had the deep misfortune to be stuck in a smoke filled room will know just how painful it can be. Your throat burns, your eyes sting, your chest starts to convulse, you get light headed, you faint. It's one of the most horrible things you can experience (yes I've had the experience. Once. And you don't forget it.) I really liked having Miranda and Shepard actually hold hands to get through, and of course there's Tali's emergency vent thing. I just imagine it as being like a last resort for quarian's whose suits have been compromised. And of course it would flush out any good things they've got in their systems to keep infection at bay.

Couple of shout outs in this chapter. A reference to the mission in ME1 on Eletania, getting the data module from pyjaks. Miranda's comment is about the fact that there is absolutely no stealth in this game. Not that I ever particularly expected or wanted it, but since my Shepard is an infiltrator I did once or twice wish for a sneaky mission. Tali's trick was because she gets the AI Hacking upgrade, and you can make it do multiple enemies at once. So I expanded a bit on what it might do.

I decided to have them split up because there doesn't seem to be any reason you couldn't do that apart from the fact the game mechanics say you can't. This also effected my writing of the Firestorm. Even though most games and movies show flamethrowers as having a short range they can actually be terrifyingly long distance. A standard man-portable flamethrower in WW2 had a range of 40 metres. A tank mounted flamethrower (the M123 Armoured Flamethrower) can shoot 200 metres. Assuming that the M-451 is supposed to be a later model of that series of flamethrowers then who knows what it could do. Which is why Garrus can use it effectively for cover.

It's crazy how close things are getting to the end now. Might end up around 70-80 chapters I reckon. 250,000 words. Blimey.


	57. Chapter 56: Trail of Justice

**AN:-** Only Samara's loyalty mission to go and then things will get real exciting real fast

**Chapter Fifty-Six: Trail of Justice**

"That could have gone better."

It was late night on the Normandy again and they were gathered around the table once more. Shepard had to fight to keep herself from grinning too much at just how much things had come along. When she remembered those first few nights, with no one but Joker for company, she could only wonder how she had survived. Maybe she owed Joker more than she thought.

"We saved as many of the workers as we could," Garrus said.

"From a fire he started." Tali had been furious ever since she got out of CHakwas' decontamination chamber. "Shepard, why is he still on the ship?"

"We need him Tali. For a lot of different reasons."

"Well let me know because I can't see them."

Shepard considered the question, glancing among the crew to see most of them watching for her response. "For one, TIM's paying his way. I can't break the contract, and I doubt he'd be happy if we got rid of Zaeed without fulfilling that contract. We still need the support of Cerberus to do this."

"For now," Jack muttered.

"And," Shepard quickly silenced any other dissent. "We're a small crew about to attempt the impossible. Anything we can do to improve our odds, any way we can make it more likely that more of us will come back, and I'm going to seize it with both hands."

"Do you really think we have any chance at survival?" Thane asked. It was his first time at one of the meals. So far he had been quiet, but it was a companionable quiet

"I think we do. We can't think of this like a standard campaign. This is a strike mission with a single objective. Disable the Collector ship. And if we move fast, punch hard and don't stop I honestly believe we can do it."

"Your optimism is admirable." He didn't have to say it was probably misguided. They all understood that part well enough.

"And besides, I'm looking forward to many more of these awkward meals and dinners to come. Can't have people not there to attend."

"You actually do enjoy these things don't you?" Miranda said. "It's not just team building."

Shepard shrugged. "I like food and I like company. Combining the two seemed obvious enough the first time I did it."

"I remember the first time," Garrus said. "You mentioned something about a hyper-intelligent space hamster?"

"A prank involving a hyper intelligent space hamster," she corrected. "And yes that's an old one from basic."

"Are we ever going to hear the story?" Tali asked.

"Maybe one day when we're all old and grey."

Jack snorted. "And what if we don't get to be old and grey?"

"Oh we're going to be old and grey and sitting around a retirement home somewhere while Grunt is still a baby of a hundred and twelve , talking about the good old days when we took down all the Reapers and saved the galaxy."

Jacob laughed as he picked up his drink. "I've gotta admit. Your constant mindless optimism is really starting to get to me."

Shepard grabbed her glass as well. "I'll toast to that."

/|\

Once the meal was done and everyone had retired for the night Shepard found Tali still in the kitchen, cleaning up her induction ports.

"You have to do that by hand?" She asked as she walked over.

"Not really. But it's the best way to be sure. And I find it soothing."

Shepard grabbed some of the plates off the side and stood next to her at the sinks. "Never did much of this after leaving Mindoir."

"I thought military life was all about scrubbing things."

"Boots? Yes. Barracks? Also yes, if you got caught out in a poker game. Plates? Not so much."

"I cannot imagine young Shepard in her basic training. I've only known you as the Commander."

"Oh I was an absolute nightmare for my training officers. I didn't deal with losing my family that well. All those pranks I talk about, it's amazing I didn't get kicked out after a year."

"I don't think kicking you out of training would have been in the galaxy's best interests."

"If I'm honest I think I needed it." She started stacking the plates for drying. "Despite how much I pushed against the boundaries, I'd have gone off the rails if they weren't there."

"You were that bad?"

"Underneath all the laughing I had so many problems with my anger. Some days I just wanted to break the face of everyone I saw. I channelled it into learning how to shoot. If I knew I could shoot the wings off a gnat at a thousand yards then maybe…" she trailed off, not willing to go back to how dark some of her thoughts had really been back then.

"I think I know what you mean."

"Your father?"

Tali nodded, pausing in her scrubbing. "All those admirals. His friends. Ready to condemn him and strike his name from history, the ultimate dishonour. Or worse, to simply move on as though nothing had changed in their own personal missions. Even Gerrel. He was like family to me, Raan as well. And they both betrayed him." She shook her head. "Keelah. I'm sorry I dragged you into quarian politics. All that infighting, seeing what my father did. You were the only one there for me Shepard, the only cover I had against that storm. Thank you."

"Are quarian politics always like that?"

"No. sometimes it can actually get unpleasant." Shepard raised an eyebrow at that, and Tali actually laughed. "We're a very social people, we have to be, to make up for being stuck in these suits, and part of that means getting involved in each other's business."

"I imagine they're trying to fill your father's spot on the Admiralty Board. What will that do to the balance of power?" She didn't like to think what would happen if another war happy admiral got elected.

"I have no idea. Being exiled might have made it easier. A few people are suggesting me as a candidate. Replacing an admiral takes time though. You may not have noticed but quarians like to debate."

She was trying to pass it off as a joke, but remembering the near kangaroo court made Shepard's blood boil. "The whole trial was insulting; you should have had time to mourn your father."

"I don't think life is about what you deserve. But I think my father would be honoured that I decided to mourn him by blowing up a lot of geth." Shepard touched her shoulder, then pulled her into a hug.

"I'm sorry Shepard. I just don't… I'm sorry."

"You have got nothing to be sorry for Tali. You do deserve better." They pulled apart and Shepard smiled. "And you know I'll be there with whatever you need, right?"

"Of course I know that."

Shepard grinned and leaned forwards to headbutt Tali very softly on her helmet. As she pulled back Tali turned away to the sink, picking up one of her straws. Not wanting to ruin to the moment Shepard picked up another dish and together they finished the dishes.

/|\

Her next stop was Samara's room. The Justicar had joined them for the meal, but had eaten very little and said even less. Shepard had never expected her to be a big talker, but she couldn't work out why she had come at all if she wasn't going to interact. And even more than that she had seemed nervous about something. With the deadline hanging over their heads in a very real sense now Shepard didn't want anyone on her ship carrying anything unresolved.

"I am glad you came," Samara said as she walked through the door, rising from her meditative pose and turning. With the faint light of the slipstream around the ship illuminating the window she looked very dramatic. "I must ask for your help. "That is not easy for me."

"You can feel free to tell me anything." It was so hard to talk to her. Shepard had no idea what her calm face hid.

"When we met on Ilium I told you about a very dangerous person I was pursuing. Using the information you obtained I have located her. She has been going by the name Morinth. I would like to apprehend her before she disappears again."

"Where is she?"

"Omega. A nightclub called Afterlife, which seems a perfect place for her to hunt."

Shepard frowned, trying to decipher anything from her expression. She wanted to sit, but that would have seemed inappropriate with Samara standing so formally. She settled for parade rest, hands clasped behind her back. "How important is this?" Chasing down a simple criminal didn't seem like a major concern.

"Killing her has been my focus for four hundred years. It is the most important thing in my life, and the reason I became a Justicar."

"Tell me about her."

"She is an Ardhat Yakshi." Shepard remembered the stories Liara had told her about the creatures of myth. "It is a term from a dead asari dialect, it means 'Demon of the Night Winds.' But that is mythology. She is simply a very dangerous woman who kills without mercy."

There was still nothing to suggest why Samara would have undertaken a centuries long quest to find one murderer. "Is an Ardhat Yakshi a special kind of killer?"

"Morinth suffers a rare genetic disorder. When she mates with you, there is no gentle melding of nervous systems. She overpowers yours, burns it out, haemorrhages your brain. You end up a mindless shell, and soon after you are dead."

"What isn't this ever mentioned in asari literature or art?"

"When we were primitive there was much fascination with Ardhat Yakshi. Some cultures worshipped them as gods of destruction. Now the asari have a place in the galaxy, and they don't wish this effect to be widely known. As far as I know, only three exist today. Two chose a life of seclusion, the third ran."

"Morinth."

"She ran, and I am sworn to kill her."

"I don't know that I blame her for running." The thought of seclusion for the full course of a thousand year existence seemed a steep price.

"When she fled she proved her addiction. She was not taking a great moral stand, she simply wants to keep killing. She is a tragic figure, but not a sympathetic one."

"Can't she abstain?"

"Each encounter gives her strength. The effect is narcotic." Shepard was suddenly quite vividly reminded of some of the nights she had spent with Liara. "The more she does it, the more she needs to do it. She won't stop, she can't."

"It sounds like this is worthy of your full attention."

"She confuses her victims, twists their feelings. They will do anything for her favour."

"Then we need to stop her."

"Thank you Commander. There are no words to express what this means to me." She turned to face the window and was quiet for so long Shepard wondered if she had been dismissed. But just as she was about to leave Samara turned back, and this time emotion was much more plainly visible on her face. "There is one thing more. This creature, this monster. She is my daughter."

There didn't seem to be much response to that. "That must be so hard," she said, a little lamely. "I'm sorry."

"I do not want pity Shepard, I do not accept it. My daughter's condition is my fault, and my redemption lies in killing her. Do not pity me. Simply understand my situation."

That seemed like a dismissal, but she couldn't just leave the story unfinished. "How did all this happen?"

"I spent my youth on the move, adventuring. I killed people, mated with them, or just danced the night away. I learned so much, experienced so much. And then my matron days came. I could finally sit back, bask and enjoy my family. But in one moment it was all taken away." She was clearly struggling for control. her voice shook and her jawline jumped a little as she fought to keep her face impassive.

"It sounds terrible."

"I sat in a med lab while a near-sighted doctor droned at me, and I learned that nothing was as I thought it would be. I gave up all that I possessed. I own nothing; claim nothing, all my knowledge will die with me. Now my purpose is to destroy my own children."

Another vivid memory hit her. Of lying in a bed in an Alliance med-bay while above her someone talked about a medal for surviving such a terrible attack. "Those moments change you."

"And I've hundreds of years left to live with that." She turned away. "I say too much. Forgive me." When she spoke again her voice was steady and emotionless. "Help me find my long lost daughter, and kill her."

There was nothing left to say. Shepard nodded once, then left her alone.

/|\

"So we're going on yet another personal mission?" Joker asked when she told him the new coordinates.

"I'm sincerely hoping this is the last one," she said, dropping into the seat next to him. "Unless you have some unresolved daddy issues you're desperately waiting to share with me?"

"All long dead and buried I'm afraid. My only concern now is whether handling a ship that's inhabited by a female AI counts as some sort of harassment."

Right on cue EDI's hologram appeared next to him. "As I have explained to you repeatedly Mr Moreau the standards of conduct do not apply here. The Normandy is not analogous to a body as you would see it. In the same way that you pilot the Normandy, utilising its sensors for vision, I am a part of the systems of the Normandy, using those same sensors as you would."

Joker leaned over to mutter to her. "You're gonna wanna stick around for the next bit Shepard."

"Secondly. Although my Artificial Self has been programmed to include a female voice, I am essentially genderless. I could easily change my voice at will." She did just that, and her next sentence emerged in a deep baritone. "Gender identity is a social-development from the existence of binary genders in the majority of species." Her voice switched back to female. "Although of course if your actions did count as harassment they would be equally as inappropriate if carried out upon a male AI."

Shepard grinned and raised her fist. "Bring it home EDI."

"Finally Mr Moreau, harassment by definition comprises of bullying or harassment in an unwanted and inappropriate manner, without prior consent. Since I am aware of you utilising my systems while flying, and have given both explicit and tacit consent for you do to so, it cannot be harassment."

"And she sticks the landing." Shepard shoved Joker lightly in the shoulder. "You're gonna have to work on some new material now the ship can answer back."

"Ah shove it Commander, all due respect. I'm hilarious."

"Of course you are. Although I'm a bit worried at the thought of EDI understanding consent. What would happen if she ever didn't give consent?"

All the lights in the cockpit went off and a big red warning beacon flashed on Joker's console. A moment later the power returned, leaving Shepard half-out of her chair and gripping the arm rests hard enough to make the plastic creak.

"I have methods to ensure no one can pilot this ship without authorisation."

Shepard eased herself back into the seat. "That is both the best and most terrifying thing I have ever heard."

"Try living with it." Joker muttered. He turned the chair a little to talk to Shepard, then abruptly swung back the other way. "Hey, what?" His chair rose a short distance, then abruptly dropped. "Very funny EDI."

"You did insist on manual controls."

"Honestly Joker if the two of you can't get along I'm going to have to separate you."

"Nice one Commander. You ever think of becoming a teacher?"

She shuddered. "God no. I still remember how I treated my teachers."

He laughed. "Wonder if that's how Miranda feels about us sometimes."

Sitting at her terminal watching the goings on in the cockpit Miranda shook her head. "I think I'd prefer children Mister Moreau." She turned to her computer and went back to the latest mission report.

File Open: Mission Debrief: Eldfell Ashland refinery

Operative: Miranda Lawson

[File]

Eldfell-Ashland refinery on Zorya has been liberated, though the company will have to spend millions to rebuild. Although Vido Santiago escaped, Zaeed has accepted Shepard's command and appears focused on the mission.

We are approaching Omega for a mission relating to the Justicar Samara. Shepard seems to believe it is important. I forsee no further distractions once it is completed.

[/File]

Signoff: Miranda Lawson

Send File: Transport Node Phi Ro 9

Logoff: Miranda Lawson

Purge Databank

Shutdown

**AN:-** Why can't you just kick Zaeed off the ship?

Oh yeah, because the game says so.

If I have one regret for this story it's that I haven't included as much of Thane and Samara as I would have liked. On the one hand I think that trying to give absolutely equal focus to a cast of at least fifteen main characters (12 squad + Shepard + Joker + EDI) would have really stretched things out too far, and you have to try and maintain some sense of pacing. But on the other hand I like Thane and Samara's character arcs. It just would have been nice to have more time to spend with them. I keep trying to think how I would actually manage that, but the only way I can see would be to collect both of them before doing Miranda and Jacob's loyalty missions, which I think would have just made the story a bit too neat. Like 'here's the first half where we collect all the people, then here's the second half where we do their loyalty missions.' Mixing it up a bit made it more fun to write and hopefully more fun to read.

The more I reference the hyper-intelligent space hamster prank the less I think I can ever actually write down exactly what happened. I'll probably end the entire series like Avatar the Last Airbender, with just this final question as they're lying in their hospital beds and Garrus turns to Shepard and says 'so what the hell was that space hamster thing?' And end. I like to think that Jack's comment about not getting to be old and grey is some sort of really dark humour. It's her idea of a joke.

Sometimes with renegade Shepards I get this sense that if it wasn't for being in the military they would have become the galaxies most feared pirate or bounty hunter. So along with the hints I drop of Shepard being a prankster and a layabout in the early days, I think it would have been tempered a little by the deep loss and pain of her grief over Mindoir, which could easily provoke anger as well. I've referenced this a little before with people being scared of her when she's in 'sniper mode' as the Ice Queen. I just always imagine Shepard's anger as being tranquil fury, more than explosive rage. She internalised that anger and it made her cold, rather than expressing it.

My first novelisation I listed as Adventure/Friendship. This one is listed as Adventure/Family. Hopefully with all the Garrus & Tali stuff you're stating to see why. Family seemed to be an important theme in ME2. Thane's son, Samara's daughter, Tali's father, Miranda's sister, Jacob's father, Grunt's proxy-father. Half the missions are about direct blood relations, and the others are mostly about incredibly close near-familial relationships.

EDI's big speech actually does have a purpose, which will become more clear in Mass Effect 3.

That's all for now, see you at the next one.


	58. Chapter 57: The Ardhat Yakshi

**AN:- **Can you tell I'm determined to get this story finished?

**Chapter Fifty-Seven: The Ardhat Yakshi**

Being back on Omega made Shepard's skin crawl. The grime of the city settled over them like a cloud the moment they stepped out of the airlock. Samara was right at her heel, silent and cold. Shepard had spoken with her about not causing any trouble while they were there, and had been assured that the rest of the lawlessness could wait until Morinth was taken care of.

They went straight into Afterlife, past the bouncers and the guards and up to Aria's preferred spot. The asari didn't seem particularly pleased to see Shepard back, but she went so far as to raise an eyebrow at Samara.

"You brought a Justicar to Omega Shepard? You're dumber than I thought."

"We're not here to cause trouble for you today Aria. We just need some information."

"Information comes at a price Shepard, you should know that by now."

"Once we have this information we'll be able to deal with a potential problem you don't even know you've got."

"I know everything that takes place on this station Shepard, I know where my problems are and I know how to deal with them."

Shepard smirked. "Did you know that an asari fugitive is hiding out here? She's an Ardhat Yakshi." No matter how much she tried to hide it Shepard saw the slight twitch on Aria's face that betrayed her shock. "We need to find her."

"I knew it. Nothing leaves a body quite so… empty as an Ardhat Yakshi does." Shepard filed that information away immediately. Aria sounded almost like she had met one before.

"You haven't taken steps to kill her?"

"Why would I? She hasn't tried to seduce me."

"It's not seduction you need to be worried about."

"Do tell."

"Do you really think she'll stop at a few murders? When she sees you up here living like a queen? This asari has been killing for four hundred years, she's gotten pretty good at manipulating people. Now what would happen if she were to take a run at you?"

"She'd be crushed."

"No doubt. But at what cost to you? She could do some serious damage before she dies. But I'm here with an offer. We deal with her right here and now, then we get out of your way. You don't risk any of your own people, and you get to clear up the threat."

Aria frowned as she worked the offer over. Shepard sat back and watched, knowing there was only one answer. Eventually Aria sighed and shrugged. "Her last victim was a young girl. Pretty thing. Lived in the tenements near here. That's where I'd start looking."

"Thanks for the help."

As Shepard rose Aria couldn't resist getting the parting blow in. "Good luck finding her. Better luck catching her."

Outside the club Shepard brought up the map and found the tenements. It was little more than slum housing, but of a better quality than the actual slum housing, which was usually just a packing crate.

They found the block in a moment, where just inside an older woman was sitting on a sofa with her head in her hands.

"Excuse me?" Shepard asked, walking over to her.

The woman looked up, immediately spotting the weapons and armour. "Are you here about my daughter? My Nef died a week ago, and no one seems to care. The medics said it was a brain haemorrhage, but that's not true. It was murder. Someone killed my Nef." She started to cry. "My baby."

"I think she was murdered too, and I'm looking for her killer."

"Thank you. Its' so hard when no one believes you. I'm all alone now." She frowned suddenly. "Are you one of Aria's people?"

"I'm not with Aria. I'm here to find Nef's killer."

"No one else on this hellhole station gives a damn that my Nef is dead. If you can do something about it I'll help you however I can."

Samara stepped forwards to take over the interrogation. "Did Nef hang out anywhere in particular?"

"She was always quiet. Working here at home. Then a few weeks ago she started going out all the time to the VIP area of that club down the street. I think you need a password to get in or something. The change was so sudden, she just seemed, tired and distracted when she wasn't around Morinth."

Shepard and Samara shared a brief look.

"What kind of a girl was your daughter?"

"My Nef had a fire inside her. She was shy, but she was creative and driven. And the best girl a mother could hope for."

"She was creative, how so?"

"She was a sculptor. Several galleries were interested in her, said her work was fresh." Samara definitely seemed to think that was important, but she carried on questioning.

"Did you daughter have a lot of friends?"

"Not a lot no. She was shy. Spent most of her time off making her sculptures, hanging out with friends. Something did change in the last few weeks though. She started talking about an asari, Morinth."

"I see."

"I didn't like her. She kept dragging Nef out to clubs. And I'm pretty sure she gave my daughter drugs."

"What kind of a person was this Morinth?" Shepard asked.

"I never met her, but Nef talked about her like she was a queen. You'd swear there was no one else alive when she talked about Morinth."

"That sounds familiar."

"Does Morinth usually control her victims with drugs?" Shepard asked.

"She controls them through sheer will. The drugs are just a lifestyle. She loves the club, she loves the bass. She's a hedonist."

"So this Morinth did hurt my daughter. Is she the one that, that…"

As she began to cry again Samara rested a hand on hers and held it tight. "I will bring justice to the one that did this."

Shepard came to sit next to her as well. "We swear to you, Nef will rest easy soon."

"I hope so, I hope so, oh god my baby…"

Shepard felt out of place with the two women, so she quickly asked her next question. "Do you mind if I examine Nef's room?"

"I didn't wanna disturb anything. Her clothes, her art, her sculptures, everything is the way she left it. The way it will always be. My baby is gone, she's…" Samara pulled her into a gentle embrace.

"I know what it means to lose a daughter, I will avenge her."

"Thank you," she sobbed into Samara's shoulder. "Please, if it helps you find her killers, look through her things."

Samara nodded to Shepard, who went to the door.

Inside it was surprisingly cluttered. She wouldn't have imagined that someone living in poverty in Omega could have many possessins. Much of it seemed to be art related, sculptures and reference images. She touched a datapad and it lit up, a woman's voice emanating from it.

"Nef, I'm sending you this hologram by the elcor artist Forta. His work is sublime, but don't stare at it too long or you may go mad. I don't want anything bad to happen to you love, I can't wait to hear what you think of Forta."

"That is her," Samara said from close behind. Both women were now standing in the doorway. "That is Morinth."

Shepard nodded, her eye caught by a sculpture on the desk. It was eye-catching, organic and subtle. Shepard had never been much of an art lover, but even she could see the skill it would have required. "Nef made that. A man from some gallery offered me four year's salary for it, but I'd never part with it."

She finally found what she was looked for tucked under the mattress. A holo-journal, common enough. Cheap but near indestructible they were a favourite among soldiers. She triggered the oldest entry. A woman's face appeared. She was beautiful, but she looked barely out of her teens.

"Hey diary, Cycle 34, Orbit 671, there's a lot to talk about. I dropped Jaruut's name and they let me into the VIP room at Afterlife. I'm sure everyone was staring at me. Then the most beautiful asari starts dancing near me. She moves like water, form and body but shifting changing. I'm in a trance, then I'm dancing with her. Later we went for skewers and I'm supposed to see her again tomorrow."

The excitement in her voice was palpable. That burst of young love that made people forget themselves for a moment. Shepard triggered the next entry.

"Cycle 36 Orbuit 671. Am I a freak? Morinth is a girl like me, and she's definitely not human. Just… when we dance, and the hallex is flowing through me, the way she looks at me with a hunger, a longing, no one's ever looked at me like that, we kissed tonight."

Nef had fallen hard for Morinth, that much was obvious. All the signs were there. But there were other signs. Hallex was a powerful substance, especially if you hadn't taken drugs before. Shepard remembered the one time she had taken it, and spent the entire night huddled in a corner barely able to distinguish between different sounds. If Morinth had dosed Nef with a sensory enhancer it would certainly explain the sudden explosion of interest. A kiss under the influence of Hallex was mind-blowing, almost literally. She triggered the final entry.

"Cycle 42, Orbit 671. She's going to take me to her apartment tonight. Whatever happens, I wanna be with her forever. She can sell my pieces, we can live somewhere glamorous, like the women in Vaenia, that vid Morinth likes. How did this happen to me? I'm just dumb trash from Omega."

If nothing else she knew how to pick her victims. Shepard put down the journal and turned to see only Samara there. From outside she heard sobbing again.

"Six days," Shepard said. "She drew it out for six whole days before she killed her. That's a special kind of predatory."

"This is Morinth's work. She is attracted to artists and creators. Someone with a spark, slightly isolated from their peers. She impresses them with sophistication and sex appeal, then she strikes. The hunt interests her as much as the conquest."

"Anyone who successfully hunted sapient beings for 400 years warrants caution."

"Morinth speaks to you on many levels. Her body tells you she'll bring unimagineable ecstasy, her scent evokes emotions long hidden Her eyes promise you things you were always scared to ask of another. Her voice whispers to you after she is done speaking." Shepard was reminded once more of Liara. Everything Samara had described was present in her own memories, possibly even just as intense. But with Liara there was an goodness underneath.

"She sounds more like a highly evolved killer than a genetic defective."

"Her condition has been present since my people huddled around fires at night. Perhaps it is symbiotic, rather than defective. Storming her den would be a mistake. She will have a hundred escape routes planned. She will go to ground and disappear for fifty years or more. This is the closest I've ever been."

"So we have to lure her out."

For the first time Samara smiled. "Exactly. Shepard you read my mind. Afterlife's VIP section seems her preferred hunting ground. You must go there alone and unarmed."

"Are we sure she'll come after me?"

"You can draw Morinth out. She'll certainly flee if she catches sight of me, but she won't be able to resist you. You are an artist on the battlefield. You have the vital spark that attracts her. Your power will draw her in."

"No gun and no backup wouldn't be my preferred way of doing this."

"I will be in the shadows watching Shepard. You will never be alone, this I swear, but you cannot barge in with guns and allies. Morinth is far too cagey, she'd simply disappear. This is a subtle, delicate act, trust me."

"Time's wasting, let's get over there."

"I agree, we can talk more once we're there."

Outside they found Nef's mother again, her face stained with tears. She seemed calm again though. "Did you find anything? Is there anything I can do to help?"

"We found something. We'll stop her."

She grabbed Shepard's hand. "Thank you. Thank you."

"We will bring justice for your daughter," Samara said as they left.

It was a short walk to Afterlife, but before they went there Samara led her down into the markets. "You must be dressed appropriately."

"I'm not in the mood for more dresses."

"Not a dress. Morinth will be attracted to the predator in you. You must find something appropriate."

Shepard spotted the perfect outfit at once. She changed in the store and paid for it before walking out the door, handing off her armour to Samara. "You certainly look the part."

"This isn't the first time I've been to a club like this."

"I've heard about your misspent youth."

"A little more misspent than most."

"You might be surprised."

She turned to see Samara with the faintest hint of a smile tugging at her lips. "You were not always what you are, did you think I was?"

"If there's one thing the last few months have taught me it's that no one is what you think they are."

They approached the club, and Shepard felt almost like she was stepping back in time. The pounding music echoed out, a bassline that set her teeth dancing. She felt her shoulders loosening up with the rhythm. She was wearing almost all black, rynth-leather trousers with a matching jacket in black with red. A pale grey shirt with a deep v-neck and boots which stretched right up to her knees.

The turian at the door wasn't impressed though. "What do you want?"

"I wanna join the party. Someone told me the rest of Afterlife's nothing compared to this place." She remembered the name Nef had mentioned.

"Sounds like a smart person, who was it?"

"Jaruut."

"Go on in. Word to the wise, start a fight, we'll hurt you. Someone attacks you; it's okay to defend yourself."

_Good advice._ She had been to places like that before as well.

They stopped inside the narrow corridor just before entering the club proper.

"You must go in alone. Morinth will be watching. Like any predator, she is cautious. You must pique her interest enough that she will approach you. When you are face to face, subtly encourage her to invite you to her apartment. I'll follow discreetly and when you're alone I'll spring the trap." Shepard went to go inside, but Samara caught her and held her back. "Know this. Until I get there you are in great peril. She will be planning to inflict horrors on you. If you are not careful, you will want her to."

"I can handle anything she can throw at me."

"And I believe that. But Shepard, we only get one chance at this. Any mistake and Morinth will disappear. If you're the least bit unsure, come talk to me. I will wait here." She went to the door once again and Samara spoke. "Shepard, thank you. I do not share this burden easily. And you are the only soul I can imagine sharing it with."

Shepard nodded, then entered the club. Immediately the music washed over her and she felt old memories bubble to the surface. For the first time in years she let them, allowing herself to fall back to that mindset. She pulled the tie out of her hair and let it fall down to her shoulders, completing the look. At the door she stopped and looked around, choosing targets for the night.

There was a beautiful brunette dancing her heart out on the dancefloor, a blonde in a stunning red dress that showed every inch of leg, and an asari dancer being harassed by a turian.

_Perfect._

She walked over, forgetting the military march and letting her hips sway. The movement felt unnatural after so long without it. As she walked she heard someone trying to beg tickets for a band called Expel 10 for 'some asari chick.'

"Come on baby," she heard him saying as she drew closer. "I can pay. I'm a good tipper too."

"I told you to stay away from me!"

"Don't be like that, I got creds. We'll go back to my place, I got simple tastes."

"Back off asshole, I'm a dancer, not a hooker."

He leaned close, pressing her against the wall. "You got a mouth on you, I'll enjoy watching you use it."

She grabbed him by the shoulder and hauled him away. "The lady asked you to step away."

"You want in on this transaction? I don't care if it's you or this bitch, I just like good times."

She cracked her neck and smiled her most dangerous smile. "You don't wanna do this."

"Oh I think I do."

He was utterly untrained. He punched like he'd seen too many John Wayne movies, a round house that took forever to reach her. She actually let him think he was going to hit, stepping back at the last second to watch him flail uselessly. Then she grabbed his arm and put him into an elbow lock Garrus had shown her. He dropped to his knees and she flipped him over her hip, his head cracking hard on the floor.

"Good times are over buddy."

"Thanks for that," the asari said as Shepard straightened her jacket. "Security was asleep."

"Let me buy you a drink to make it up to you?"

"Well I shouldn't but…" She held out her arm and Shepard took it, leading her over to the bar.

"This place seems pretty cool," she said once they got there.

"Oh it is on a good night. But then you get jerks like that." She turned to watch the crowd. "Or that guy." Shepard turned to see a tall human dancing in the middle of the dancefloor. He clearly thought he was Michael Jackson, even going so far as to steal another dancer's hat for a moment. She shook her head.

"Remind me not to dance with you."

"Ah it's not so bad. But this place can be a really good time."

"Y'know what, let's make that happen." She turned to the bartender. "How about a round for the house?"

"You payin'?"

She swiped her chit, the one which Miranda had authorised for her to use on Cerberus funding missions. "Yeah I'm paying."

"Hey, a round for everyone!"

As they patrons swarmed the bar Shepard slipped out and back to the dancefloor, scanning for anyone out of place. She found dark eyes only inches away from hers.

"My name is Morinth," the asari said. "I've been watching you."

**AN:- **I loved writing this chapter. I actually really like the mission as well.

I extended a lot of the conversations in this chapter. Particularly the one with Aria and Shepard. I just felt like a little more back and forth was more in keeping for Aria. She doesn't just give up information, she needs something in return.

It's not quite clear how long a 'cycle' on Omega is, whether it's a day or a week or what. I just thought a day felt more realistic. Morinth isn't going to spend weeks going after one target, she's going to do it in days. Which of course makes Nef's fall really tragic, because it happens in such a short amount of time.

More evidence of Shepard's past. Part of the reason I like this level with my Shepard is that it ties in almost directly with her youth. She tried club drugs, she was once a lot more promiscuous, all things I now got to explore. This isn't Shepard playing a role like on Kasumi's mission, this is my actual Shepard, just from when she was younger.

Shepard's outfit is supposed to be pretty much exactly the same as Lara Croft's 'biker' outfit from Tomb Raider Legend. Since my Shep looks like Lara, and I'm a huge fan of the TR games it just felt nice to throw in a little shout out. 'rynth-leather' is a shout out to the Aliens vs Predator books, where rynth are cow like herd animals. Since the cows in Mass Effect are literally just called 'space-cows' that felt a little bit too silly to include.

The big guy dancing is a shout out to Marshall from How I Met Your Mother. I was going to include a whole 'woo girls plus one guy' thing but it just felt like I was trying too hard.


	59. Chapter 58: The Hunt

**AN:-** Bit of a short one just to finish up this mission.

**Chapter Fifty-Eight: The Hunt**

Shepard hadn't been prepared for just how stunning she would be. She was beautiful even by asari standards, and her scent was utterly intoxicating. She was standing so close Shepard could feel hot breath on her skin and see nothing but electric blue skin.

"You're the most interesting person in this place. I've got a booth over here in the shadows." The word alone promised unspeakable things. She fought to take a breath. "Why don't you come sit with me?"

She left, clearly expecting Shepard to follow, and even if she hadn't needed to, she didn't know if she could have turned away. Samara had been right, she was dangerous in so many ways. "Some nights I come here and there's no one interesting to talk to, some nights there's just one person." Morinth sat and stared at her. "Tonight it's you. Why is that?"

Shepardtried to find something she knew. A point of stability. "I know what I like," she said as she sat, and suddenly felt herself loosen up. She had been good at this once, and she could do it again. As long as Morinth thought she was in charge Shepard could keep turning it around to give herself the power.

"Do you?"

She didn't answer that, leaning back and putting her feet up on the small table in front of them. She looked back to the dancefloor and closed her eyes, letting the music wash over her. "What do you think of the music here?"

"Dark rhythms, violent pulses, it stirs something primitive in me. What about you?"

"There's a band called Expel-10. I'm not sure you'd have heard of them."

She smiled. "They get in my head and tear it to pieces. They're in concert soon, maybe we should go together." She swayed a little in her chair. "You can lose yourself in the music here. There are ways to enhance that. You know?"

"What do you think of Hallex?"

"It slithers through my soul. Sounds like we share some interests."

"You know anything about art?"

"It speaks to the darkest places in me. What about you?"

She remembered the name of the artist Morinth had sent to Nef. "Do you know the artist Forta?"

"I didn't think anyone around here knew him. He's sublime. Art comes in many varieties. I've seen vids that were more powerful than a sculpture sitting in a gallery."

"I hear about one, Vaenia?"

"My favourite. The two actresses in it are so glamorous."

"I'll have to watch it."

"Maybe we could do that together."

Shepard smiled. "I think I'd like that."

"So who are?"

"I'm Maia."

"Not your name, who are you?"

"I'm a person who knows how to get what I want."

"And how is that?"

"I've travelled all over the galaxy."

"It changes you doesn't it?"

"Real travel means going to dangerous places."

She liked that, leaning forwards and staring Shepard right in the eyes. Shepard suddenly realised that she hadn't blinked the entire time they had been talking. "Where you can see and do things most people can't imagine."

"Yes."

"When I travel. I find myself drawn to dark, dangerous places."

Shepard leaned forwards as well, holding her gaze. "Violent places?"

"Violence is the purest expression of power."

"Violence is a means to an end," she said. "Power is that end."

Morinth finally blinked, taking a sharp breath in as she did. "Do you want to get out of here? My apartment is nearby and I want you alone."

Shepard let the question hang as she took her drink and drained it, then stood and nodded to the door. "Let's get out of here."

/|\

Her apartment was much nicer than the rest of Omega. She could almost have been on the Citadel. It was spacious, filled with art and artefacts that had clearly been gathered from around the galaxy.

"I haven't seen real swords for a while," Shepard said as she examined a cross pair on the wall.

"I was into duelling for a while. I love the moment when you see it in your opponent's eyes. He knows you're better, and he's going to die." Morinth's smile was dangerous. "Don't touch, I still keep them sharp."

Shepard met her eyes, then reached out and ran her finger along the blade. "I've always been fascinated by swordfighting. It seems so brutal. It's like something from another world."

"The past is a fascinating place, I agree. Have you ever used a sword?"

"No. I haven't had the chance."

"You should learn. I think you would like it. I love any game where your opponent can believe he is about to win, just before you kill him."

"We have so much in common," Shepard said with her most winning smile, letting go of the sword and resting her hand on Morinth's cheek. "I like it."

They walked to the sofa, sitting down next to each other. Shepard eased herself out of her jacket and threw it to the floor, Morinth watching her closely.

"I love clubs." She spoke softly, her voice deeper and sensuous now. Shepard could almost feel her turning on the seduction. "People, movement…" She leaned closer. "Heat. I can still hear the bass, like the drums of a great hunt, out for your blood. But here, it's muted, and you're safe. Is that what you want Shepard?"

She was afraid she was losing herself in the masquerade. Morinth was so close; she could feel the electricity in the air between them. Her old self kept shouting at her, telling her to seize the moment, damn the consequences. "I haven't wanted safety since I was a child."

Morinth climbed onto her, pushing her hands down on Shepard's stomach, it lit a fire in her. She looked up into pale blue eyes, blue skin clad in black leather, and all she could think of was a much different time, uncertain hands and softer eyes. "We're never safe. I've never understood the fascination with safety." Morinth bent low to her ear, sliding her hands lower as well. The thought of Liara kept it from having any effect though. "Some of us choose differently. Independence over submission. I think we share that, you and I." She bit Shepard's earlobe.

Shepard kept her voice soft, keeping the illusion, hoping Samara was close by. "We've both killed many times, but that's where the similarities end."

"Why do you say that I've killed." She was slowly realising, pushing back and raising her hands. "What do you know?" She stood. "Let's stop playing games." She closed her eyes and when she opened them again they were black. Shepard felt fingers on her mind, testing her defences. "Look into my eyes and tell me you want me." Her voice echoed. "Tell me you'd kill for me. Anything I want."

Shepard stood, swaying slightly, and stepped close, close enough that they were almost touching once more. Then she laughed once, stepping back and smirking. "Don't count on it."

Morinth was shocked out of her trance. "But you, who are you?" Understanding finally hit her and she flared with biotic power. "Oh no, I see what's going on. The bitch herself found a little helper."

Just as Shepard was preparing for the strike the door cycled open and Samara strode in, her own corona flaring. "Morinth."

"Mother."

A biotic blast smashed Morinth against the window, hard enough to crack the glass. "Do not call me that." Samara's voice was ice-cold.

Morinth struggled against the bonds. "I can't choose to stop being your daughter, mother." She blasted free and dropped to the floor. Shepard ducked out of the way, back towards the door to let them fight it out.

Samara was advancing on her daughter. "You made your choice long ago."

"What choice?" The table went flying, but Samara blasted it into bits before it could strike. "My only crime was being born with the gifts you gave me."

"Enough Morinth."

The force of their biotics was creating a tornado in the centre of the apartment, a glowing ball in the middle as each fought to overcome the other. Shepard had once seen Liara do something similar, and the blast had ripped apart a geth colossus.

"I am the genetic destiny of the asari." Morinth had focused on Shepard again. "But they are not ready to reveal this, so I must die."

Samara took another step forward and the winds increased, shaking pictures from the walls. "You are a disease to be purged. Nothing more."

Morinth was still talking to Shepard. "I'm as strong as she is, let me join you.

"I am already sworn to help you Shepard, let us finish this."

The biotic waves crashed through the apartment, both asari now forced to focus all their energy on the fight. Shepard fought her way through the hurricane, finding one of Morinth's swords dug into the ground. She pulled it free and forced herself forwards until she could stab the blade right through Morinth's stomach.

"End of the line."

Morinth's field dissipated and she dropped to the floor, gripping the hilt of the sword. "And they call me a monster."

Shepard stepped back, watching as Samara stepped forwards and pulled the sword free. Morinth bent double, clutching the wound as purple blood spilled out onto the floor. Samara raised the sword high above her head. "Find peace in the embrace of the goddess."

With a single swing she parted Morinth's head from her shoulders. Morinth's body remained upright another moment before keeling over to the ground. Blood continued to pump from it, and Samara stepped away with a deep shuddering breath, dropping the sword next to the pool.

"I am ready to leave this place and get on with my life. Are you ready to go as well?"

"Do you want to talk?"

It looked as though she tried to smile, but couldn't. "Shepard, what do you think I will say? What can I say? I just killed the bravest and smartest of my daughters. There are no words. I will try another time. For now, show mercy on a broken old warrior and let us leave."

Shepard nodded, turning away from the body. "Let's get out of here."

/|\

In the shuttle on the way back to the Normandy Shepard sent a short message to Aria. She didn't think Samara had noticed, but once it was sent she turned to face her. "Letting her know the job is done?"

"I'm sorry Samara, but we can't take the chance that her body will be discovered. I'm sure Cerberus knows what we're doing. If they got hold of an Ardhat Yakshi…"

"I understand Shepard. And at least this way something will be done, instead of leaving her there to rot."

"For what it's worth I am sorry for what you had to do. And I don't mean it as pity."

"I know Shepard, and I thank you for your compassion. I have not seen a great deal of it for several hundred years."

"It's sounds like a lonely life."

"Is yours so different Commander?"

Shepard closed her eyes and leaned back in the seat. "Good point. Sometimes it feels like I haven't been able to just sit down for years."

"And do you regret the path you have chosen?"

"Without my life I wouldn't have met Garrus, or Tali. Any of the crew. Miranda, Jacob, you, Wrex, Grunt. I've met so many people simply because of what it is that I do." She opened her eyes. "And honestly I don't think it was a choice. Not since Mindoir."

"Then we are the same Shepard. It was never a choice for me either. Once I saw what my own daughter had become, I could never have done any different."

/|\

They left Omega within the hour. Heading for the relay and the Hawking Eta cluster beyond.

"It's a one relay hop captain," Joker reported when she entered the cockpit. "A day at most. Hope you're ready."

"Not even close Joker." She rested a hand on his shoulder. "I wanted to thank you, before we went through."

"Uh, for what?"

"I just don't say it enough I think. You were the first one to come back for me after everything that happened. And you were probably the first one to still believe in me."

"Thanks I guess." She let go of his shoulder and sat next to him. "What's all this about though?"

"Just thinking. Do you remember how bad it was those first few weeks. Honestly if I hadn't had you there I don't know what would have happened. But you were there, and I wanted to say thank you."

"Uhm, okay." He turned to the computer, then back to her. "No offence Commander, but whenever someone gives a speech like that in a story, they're pretty much guaranteed to die."

"Oh I'm not going to die Joker."

"I know you're not, but I'm the plucky comic relief guy. I'm a goner now."

She tried to smile, but couldn't find one. "You're not going to die either Joker. No one is."

"Every time you say that I believe you."

"Not after Kaiden. Not after Akuze, not after Mindoir." She stood and rubbed her face. "Just this once Joker, everybody lives."

**AN:-** As always extensions, modifications and shout outs.

Morinth's lack of blinking is a thing I took from Silence of the Lambs. Anthony Hopkins made sure he never blinked once while on screen, which gives Lecter a truly terrifying gaze, even if it's so subconscious you barely notice it the first time. I included an extra line in the Expel 10 bit which is taken from the neutral response 'music I like is obscure.' I just love the thought of hipster Shepard.

Obviously the biggest change in this chapter is Samara's method of dispatching Morinth. This was done for several reasons. 1st, It was cleaner, which I felt was more in keeping with Samara's character. 2nd. The Justicar thing always reminded me of old Samurai movies, which I feel may have been intentional, and obviously those end with swords, not neck snapping. 3rd. It's such a cool image of both Shepard and Samara wielding swords.

I liked writing the bit with Joker. It felt very right after doing a bit of a re-read. It's not that Garrus or Tali wouldn't have come back perhaps, but Joker did, and he was the first. Joker is actually the one real constant of the Mass Effect series in my opinion. He's there at the beginning and in most of the endings he's there right to the very end..

And of course one final shout out. 'Just this one Rose, everybody lives!' The Ninth Doctor, my Doctor, of Dr Who fame.

And now I feel really bad for Shepard, because that's not the way this story ends.

Final note. I apologise if there are more spelling errors than usual in this one. I usually don't do more than cursory spell check, and so these chapters are all pretty much first drafts. But the spell check on this document has finally given up because there are so many errors (really just the amount of alien names). Which is of course what happens when you cross the 200,000 word mark.


	60. Chapter 59: The Deep Breath

**AN:-** Two short chapters in a row I'm afraid. Don't worry, it's all about to kick off.

**Chapter Fifty-Nine: The Deep Breath**

During the jump Shepard went down to see Samara again, finding her in the same meditative pose she always held.

"Hello Shepard."

"I thought you might want to talk."

"You are right. I have done little but think if what transpired since we returned."

Shepard sat down on the sofa As Samara stood and opened the window. "What do you think?" Shepard asked as Samara stared out at the empty void.

"Morinth haunted my dreams and waking hours equally. For the first time in four hundreds year I am free. I am a ruined vessel of sorrow and regret, but I am free." She turned to face Shepard. "It is not a feeling I can describe."

"You said that Morinth was a monster, but she was still your daughter."

"She was the strongest and smartest. She would not accept the injustice thrust upon her, she fought to the end. I am so proud of her Shepard."

"Morinth claimed that her condition was the future of the asari race."

"Morinth would say anything that served her cause." A faint glimmer of a smile appeared. "Ardhat Yakshi are sterile Shepard, that wouldn't be a particularly viable future for my people."

"What will you do now that she's gone?"

"Assuming I survive your mission…" She turned back to the window. "I am a Justicar; injustice still exists, and perhaps even other Ardhat Yakshi."

"I thought Ardhat Yakshi were extremely rare?"

"Asari have spread to many worlds, there are remote regions with no government oversight. If I travel to those worlds and they do exist, I will find them."

"Is there no way to correct the condition?"

"We are an advanced species, but we don't have magic, when the trait manifests at maturity it is too late for prevention. It only occurs in purebloods like myself." _And Liara._ Shepard thought with a sudden panic. But her very survival quickly quashed that fear. "Perhaps that is the root of the stigma regarding asari-exclusive parents. I don't know."

"You seem committed to this life, despite your reason for taking it no longer existing. You don't think of settling down?"

"I did. I returned to my homeworld and tried to start a family. I will fight and struggle all my life, that is my fate. When I die, it will not be in bed. I am at peace with that."

"You still control the direction of your life."

"I have chosen this path. I truly am at peace, due in no small part, to you."

She sat again, but facing Shepard, instead of the window. Shepard leaned forwards and clasped her hands before her. "You did your duty, what about your feelings?"

"One of my daughters is dead. My hopes, my dreams, were all bound up in my children. Still, my feelings have always come after my duty. The same is true of you."

"Well that's true enough. But there's always that nagging doubt. Is it worth it?"

Samara considered her for a long time, with something almost like sadness in her eyes. "It is never a question of worth, but of need. I had to take the action I did, as did she. This was never a story that would have a happy outcome."

Wishing it didn't feel quite so much as though Samara hadn't just been talking about Morinth Shepard stood. "There's a meal organised for the crew before we board the Reaper ship. If you'd like to attend, you're more than welcome."

"Thank you Shepard. I am honoured to accept the invitation."

/|\

Miranda looked up as her door cycled open. "I'm surprised to see you again so soon Commander."

"Nothing sinister I promise." Shepard sat in the seat opposite Miranda's. "I've organised another whole crew meal. For before we board the Reaper."

"Say no more Shepard. I'm happy to attend."

"Great."

"Although I do wonder whether you'll be armed for this one as well?"

"Very funny Miranda. We've come a long way since then." She stood and headed for the door. "Besides, no one actually got shot last time."

"Give it time."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

The door cycled closed behind her and she headed round to the battery, where Garrus was still hard at work. "Getting ready for the big fight?"

"Don't know what you mean Garrus. It's just an afternoon jaunt onto a derelict Reaper. Nothing we haven't handled before."

"Actually Shepard it's just about everything we haven't handled before."

"Well I've organised a meal for everyone before we go aboard."

"Just in case?"

"I didn't say that."

"I'll be there Shepard, you know that."

"Thanks Garrus."

"Anytime."

She left the battery and headed for the Medical Bay, where Chakwas was cleaning up again. "A meal before the valiant charge?" She asked as Shepard entered.

"You know me too well."

"Of course I'll be there Shepard, you know that."

"Looking forward to it."

"As am I."

She went through to Kasumi's room, finding her reading on the sofa. "Good book?"

"Dracula. It's old fashioned, but I like it."

"You have a lot of old books."

"I do. All courtesy of Keiji."

"We're having a meal before we board the ship. You're welcome to join."

She closed the book and smiled. "I think I will. It's been a fun few weeks on this ship."

"I'm glad you've had a good time."

Kasumi grinned. "You haven't?"

"It's been interesting, I'll definitely say that."

"See you at dinner Shepard."

Still grinning Shepard headed round to Thane, who was standing by the window in Life Support, staring down at the engine. "Shepard," he said as she walked through the door.

"We'll be arriving in the Thorne system shortly," she said. "I've arranged a meal for the crew. You're welcome to join."

"And I shall. I wanted to thank you Shepard, for all the things you have allowed me to experience that I had not thought I would again."

"Really?"

"Yes. Companionship, the feeling of fighting for a noble cause. I had believed my own mission to be just, and it was, but what you have brought me to do is of galactic importance. And you have reunited me with my son. I cannot ever thank you enough for that."

"You were responsible for reconnecting with your son. I just gave you a lift."

"You seem determined to downplay your own achievements, even when it concerns great acts of selfless heroism. Yet you still throw yourself into battle without worry. You are an interesting study Shepard."

"You're not the only one with that opinion Thane, but at least you haven't literally cut me open to examine me."

He smiled. "To maintain your sense of humour as well. I am glad it is you who first confronted the Reapers. Someone else might have done things very differently."

She forced a smile. "Thank you for the vote of confidence Thane. I'll see you for dinner then?"

"Of course."

/|\

In the end the only one who didn't join them was Zaeed. Every other member of the squad made it to the table, mostly on time, and once their shifts ended Donnelly, Daniels and Joker came as well. Shepard stood at the head of the table with her glass in hand and nodded to them all.

"Tomorrow we face a tough mission. It's a crucial step towards our final objective of confronting the Collectors. But make no mistake, although it may not be our hardest mission what we face on the derelict Reaper is likely to test our skills to their limits. It will be our first mission as a complete team, and I can only hope that the training sessions we're conducted over the last few weeks have been useful in showing us all how we can work together and become more effective. Despite a few bruises and bumps."

Everyone smiled, and although a few of them looked a little pained at being involved in such a sappy moment it was still so much more than she would have predicted at the start. She raised her glass higher. "So let's hit that Reaper tomorrow with everything we've got, then on to the Omega-4 Relay."

They all raised their glasses and drank with her, then turned to the meal. It wasn't quite as chaotic as the first shared meal had been, but with the addition of so many people there was a lot of reaching over plates and switching of dishes to make sure everyone got hold of food they actually wanted.

"So what is the plan Shepard?" Jacob asked around a mouthful of bread.

"Simple enough. We go in loaded for bear, armoured and ammo-ed up to the gills. The Reaper's been derelict for thirty-seven million years so I don't think we'll have to worry about fighting that, but anything that could cause an entire Cerberus strike team to drop off the map has me worried."

"You managed to do it to a few of our old installations back in the day Shepard," Miranda pointed out.

"Exactly. I remember fighting Cerberus units. They weren't kidding around. So if it took someone at the level of my old team to take them down then, we can bet that whoever killed the team on that Reaper is just as good, maybe better, than we were."

The table went quiet at that. Even Jack was examining her food with a worried look. Shepard mentally kicked herself. "But." Everyone looked back up at her. "The team last time didn't just take out Cerberus bases. We took down a Reaper. A live one." She nodded to Garrus and Tali. "And honestly I think this team is just as good."

"I don't think we really need a pep talk Commander."

"Well you're gonna get one anyway Miranda. What did we have last time? Garrus and Tali, who have spent the last two years getting even better at what they do." They nodded their thanks to her. "We had Wrex, a krogan battlemaster. Well, what d'ya say Grunt? You think Wrex is tougher than you?"

Grunt growled. "The old man is crafty. And a fine warrior. But I am pure krogan. Just give me a chance to prove it."

"Exactly. And we had Gunnery Chief Williams. Now she was an amazing soldier. But so is Jacob. And so is Zaeed, even though he's a grumpy bastard. The only other one in that final run was Liara. And look at how many powerful biotics we have. Jack, Miranda, Samara, you're all stronger than anyone else I've seen." _Apart from Liara, _she added silently. "And on top of that we've got Thane and Mordin. An assassin and a doctor without peer. What more could we want? Oh right we have a thief who managed to break into an unbreakable vault." She shrugged. "I think we're set."

Garrus chuckled. "You forgot the most important one Shepard."

"Oh if you're gonna get all sappy and say it's me Garrus…"

"No he's right." Miranda was smiling as well. "A toast to our captain I think."

They all raised their glasses again. "To the captain," Tali said.

"To the captain."

/|\

"This is it Commander."

"What a lovely looking place."

They were approaching the moon Lethe, the gigantic ball of Mnemosyne ahead of them.

EDI's hologram sprang to life. "Mnemosyne is a brown dwarf Commander. It radiates more heat than it receives from the systems primary star."

"So we're going to be orbiting right above a star," Joker said. "You take me to all the nicest places."

"You're telling me you can' handle it Joker?"

"Oh I can handle it. Just don't see why we can't go to the planet of tits and wine instead."

"Maybe next time." She watched the planet grow larger in the viewport. "Bring us in as close as you can."

"Aye aye Commander."

**AN:-** The title is a reference to a quote from Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings (movies at least, not sure if it's in the books.) 'It's the deep breath before the plunge.' Because this will really be the last quiet chapter. Derelict Reaper, Legion and his loyalty mission, then pretty much immediately the Collector attack and the final push. So there will maybe be one more chapter without any direct conflict when Legion gets activated, but aside from that it's all go from here.

Samara's line. 'This was never a story that would have a happy outcome.' Was it foreshadowing? Or did they just include the line and then it became more important with hindsight. There's no special significance given to it at the time, but it's hard not to see something deeper in it.

Kasumi is reading Dracula because it's one of the few pieces of literature that got referenced in Mass Effect 2. The Demeter, the ship which conveys Morinth to Omega, is the same name of the ship which Dracula took to England. Most of the references within ME2 are to films or other games. Plus I just really like Dracula.

This chapter had a bit of a feel of trying to include some neglected characters, specifically Samara and Thane. I gave Thane another conversation, which is not supposed to be read in a romantic way. I like Thane well enough as a character but I don't want my Shepard romancing him, and obviously there's only so far you can go in the in-game conversations before it starts to become a romance. And of course it suddenly occurred to me that I haven't really mentioned Mordin for nearly ten chapters. This is the issue with such a large cast as I mentioned before. Eventually you have to start sacrificing screen time to make way for other people. Samara and Thane needed some room to be characters, so Mordin and Grunt had to get a bit sidelined.

Miranda calls Shepard 'our' captain. Not 'the' captain or even 'Commander,' but 'our captain.' It's nice to see a character's development spelled out in two words.

As to Shepard being called captain. On a naval vessel, whatever the actual rank of the commanding officer they are referred to as captain. So a Lieutenant Commander who is in charge of a ship is referred to as the captain by everyone on board. Similarly if an Admiral was in charge of an individual ship technically they should be referred to as the captain. Mostly it seems to be so there's no confusion about where orders are coming from. Whoever's in charge is the captain, so any order they give is the captain's, and conveys the necessary total authority such a title demands. Even an Admiral of a Fleet is not supposed to have seniority over the captain of the ship they are using as their flagship. They can order around the fleet including their vessel, but they cannot give orders that supersede the captain's. Or at least that is my understanding.

Also, Shepard's rank is an absolute nightmare to figure out. Referred to originally as a Lieutenant Commander, but everyone calls them Commander. Okay, that's a common shorthand even today. But the 'Lieutenant' part is never mentioned after Mass Effect 1, which suggests they might have been promoted to full Commander. Fine. But s/he's also an N7, which isn't an official rank necessarily but is a badge of honour which people in the military would respect and honour. The N7 is about the most coveted appellation in the Alliance Military, but there's no clear indication on whether it grants any actual authority. And of course s/he's a SPECTRE, which is utterly unconnected to the Alliance Military. However you'd think the very first human SPECTRE would be afforded more privileges and power than a standard soldier, even another N7. Though of course in ME3 if Kaiden's alive he's a Major, which should mean he's reporting to her, except that she's still the commander of the vessel Normandy, which as mentioned above means despite outranking Shepard Kaiden shouldn't be able to order her around.

Absolute mess.

But, Miranda's just doing it as a mark of respect. Sort of how Tali would call her captain and mean everything that quarians associate with such a title. And now Miranda's doing that too.


	61. Chapter 60: Reaper

**Chapter Sixty: Reaper**

She had just finished changing into her armour when the ship yawed suddenly to the side, throwing her against the bed. She forced herself up and staggered to the elevator, fighting to keep her feet against the violent rocking of the ship. The last time she had been on a ship shaking so badly the Normandy had been about to explode. Reassuring herself that if that was about to happen EDI or Joker would have sounded the alarm she rode down to the CiC to find the rest of the crew struggling to stay upright. Kelly was clinging to her desk with her legs firmly braced.

Shepard hurried past and up to the cockpit, nearly pitching over into the sensor arrays as she went.

"What's with all the chop Joker?" She said as she came to find them skimming the surface of the planet.

"Doing my best. The wind's gusting to five hundred kph." He checked the sensors, double taking to check it again. "There's a second ship alongside the Reaper. It's not transmitting any IFF but the radar pegs its silhouette as geth."

She cursed and leaned over to check the screen. "I guess we know why the science team stopped reporting in." The geth ship was small, but that didn't mean a great deal. They could pack twenty geth into a ship which would only take one human. As she was checking the readouts the flight suddenly stabilised and the gravity went back to normal. "What just happened?"

"The Reaper's mass effect fields are still active." Joker toggled some switches and their flight path evened out. "We just passed inside them." He looked over and grinned. "Eye of the hurricane huh?"

She couldn't bring herself to smile back. The geth presence was one she hadn't expected, and one she didn't look forward to confronting. She hurried back down to the elevator and rode it down to find her squad organising themselves in the hanger bay.

"We all ready?" She asked as she made for the shuttle. Garrus was doing the final prep work, but she knew him well enough to know it wouldn't be any important adjustments. "There's a new development," she went on, not waiting for an answer. "A geth ship is parked up alongside the Reaper. We could be facing more resistance than previously expected."

"A single geth ship's got you spooked?" Garrus asked.

"Something had to happen to that Cerberus team, and we've seen what happens when the geth align themselves with Reapers. Their presence might suggest this Reaper isn't as dead as we thought it was. Or else they're here to salvage it, and the thought of geth equipped with Reaper tech doesn't fill me with positive feelings."

Miranda came to join them. "Any change to our orders?"

She bit the inside of her cheek and considered. "Our objective remains the same. Fine the Reaper IFF and get the hell out. If we can find out exactly what happened to the team then that's a bonus, and if we can get out without encountering the geth it'd be ideal." Another thought had occurred to her while she was in the elevator, and she decided she might as well share it. She didn't want to keep things from the team. "There's a possibility of another ambush. Let's not forget who sent us here, and what happened the last time he ordered us to go somewhere."

Miranda looked like she might argue for a moment, but then she quieted down and boarded the shuttle. Shepard counted them on out of habit more than any need to, keeping her face calm and impassive. Once Tali had clambered aboard and strapped herself in she went to join Garrus in the small cockpit.

"What's going on Shepard?" He asked as she strapped herself in. "It's not like you to get so worked up over geth."

She shook her head, but answered anyway. "This whole thing feels hinky Garrus. What the hell are the geth doing here?"

He studied her closely as the pre-flight checks ran, then finally sighed. "Shepard you're wound pretty tight right now. Are you sure it's not just…"

"Just me going crazy?" She closed her eyes and pushed the heels of her palms into them. She hadn't slept since Omega, and it was beginning to tell. "No I'm not. But for the moment me going crazy means more caution, more paranoia, and considering where we're going, that can only be a good thing."

The hanger bay opened and he manoeuvred them out with the ease of practice. "Just be careful it really is caution."

"I'm fine Garrus. I just want to get this done."

They eased out from under the shadow of the Normandy, heading up and around towards the entrance to the Cerberus base which had been bolted onto one of the tears in the hull. "Looks like our best bet should be there," Shepard said. "If they found the IFF they'll have kept it in the base."

Garrus nodded and brought them round to dock with the airlock. "Now what?"

Shepard opened the connecting door to the crew section. "Everyone out." She turned back to Garrus. "Program the shuttle to return to the Normandy. I don't want it sitting here for the geth." She slapped the quick release on her harness and opened the hatch, climbing out as Garrus fiddled with the controls.

They clustered in the entrance to watch the shuttle depart, Shepard making sure it had returned to the Normandy before turning to face the crew. "Alright. We play this smart and slow. Heavy hitters up front with tech supporting them. Biotics ready to flank or support the techs. Garrus, Zaeed, you bring up the rear with me."

They all nodded. After the training regimes they had finally settled into the best roles, and knew how to support each other properly. Shepard nodded in return. "Grunt if you find anything you mark it and wait for someone else to confirm. And I mean anything at all, even if it just looks like a loose bulkhead."

"I understand Shepard." He drew his shotgun and stomped to the inner door, followed by Jacob. She had loaded the krogan down with half of their heavy weapons, including the Particle Beam that was his very favourite toy. Alongside that Jacob had an ML-77 rocket launcher strapped to his back. She was confident that between the two of them they would be able to reduce a whole division of geth to their component pieces. Though to be on the safe side she had also given Zaeed something Mordin called an 'Arc Projector' and Garrus the M-451.

_I did say loaded for bear._

Ahead of her, barely twenty feet in, Miranda signed for a stop. They froze, waiting for the telltale rattle of gunfire or geth chatter, but there was only silence.

Shepard stalked quietly up through the ranks, passing Tali and Miranda and heading for Grunt, who was leaning against a door, his nostrils flaring. She signed for an explanation.

He shook his head. Whatever he wanted to say wasn't covered by their signs. She nodded to let him know he could talk. "Smells bad," he said in his lowest rumble. "There's blood, but there's something wrong with it."

_What? _She signed

_Unclear._

She leaned her head carefully out through the door, but there was nothing there. She leaned back in and turned to him. _Are you sure?_

"Blood is blood Shepard. This is not."

She stepped back a little so Jacob could see her movements as well. _Move out. Caution. Ten metre checks._

She waited until both had signed affirmative and then dropped back to her position.

As they moved deeper into the facility Shepard began to feel a deep sense of unease settling on her mind. The design was Cerberus standard, all white walls and straight lines, but it felt somehow wrong. She stopped for a moment and checked the deck beneath her feet. Nothing seemed to be visually amiss but she knelt anyway and ran a hand along the floor. Her glove blocked most of her sensitivity so she removed it and checked the floor again with her bare hand.

"Shepard?"

She looked up at Garrus. She replaced her glove and used it to signal at him. _Silence._

He cocked his head to one side and switched to hand signals. _You. Nonresponsive._

She frowned deeper at that. _What?_

He mimed tapping her on the shoulder several times, then made the nonresponsive sign again. She looked down the corridor to see the rest of the team looking back at them.

_Find anything?_

She shook her head, then leaned close to speak softly. "Floor felt uneven. Unusual for Cerberus. Checking."

He shook his head. "Floor's fine Shepard."

She stood and checked her weapons were all still in place, a nervous habit she thought she'd shed years earlier. Confident everything was where it should be she nodded. _Move out._

The very next door they opened Grunt and Jacob stopped and signalled back. _Terminal._

Shepard came to join them, collecting Tali as she went. They scanned the entire room, visually and with Tali's omni-tool, but there was no sign of any traps or other lifeforms of any nature. The team moved in, Grunt and Jacob setting up at the far door as the rest searched for useful information. Aside from the terminal there was nothing. Shepard activated it and found a work log entry.

"The airlock has been installed at the far end of the hold section. We've begun pressurisation for shirt sleeves work. The crew is edgy; I reassure them it is mere nerves, a superstitious reaction to what this hulk represents. The corpse of a vast ancient life form." The man on screen was middle aged and dressed in an expensive looking suit. She presumed it was Chandana. "Privately I can't deny the atmosphere; the angles of the walls seem to press down on you. I find myself clenching my teeth."

_He was right about the atmosphere._

Shepard nodded Grunt and Jacob on through the door, and twenty paces later they stopped and signalled _Terminal_ again. This one was out in the open alongside a wall, a small workbench set up next to it. They moved into position and Shepard opened up the terminal.

"We gonna stop and listen to every one of these fuckin' things?" Jack asked. "Place is making my head spin."

Shepard keyed up the work log anyway. This time a different scientist appeared, younger than Chandana and dressed in lab clothes. "We finished cataloguing specimens A203 to B016. No evidence of active nanotechnology noted. Dr Chandana believes they would have decayed over the last 37 million years. There's not enough data to support his claim. He asserts that the truth is patently obvious. I am concerned. Chandana been staring at the samples for hours, he says he's listening to them."

"Well that doesn't sound good."

"No Garrus it doesn't." She drew her pistol, signing the others forwards.

They pushed on, Jack twitching at shadows. She was sweeping her shotgun left and right, searching for targets which weren't there. Shepard watched her for a moment, then glanced back to see the way they had come. Through the semi-opaque windows she could see the curves of the Reaper, dark and imposing overhead. The floor beneath her feet wasn't straight, she just knew it.

They stopped at a heavy door.

_Entrance._ Jacob signed.

She considered their options. _Hold. _She turned to Tali. _Full scan. Then bypass._

Tali nodded and moved into position, running her omni-tool over the entire surface of the door before settling in to start unlocking it. As she worked Shepard scanned the outside of the Reaper through the window. She was convinced she saw something moving slightly out in the darkness.

Frowning she drew the Widow and unfolded it, setting the scope to her eye and sweeping the outer hull. At the very edge of the viewfinder's range she could see something shifting slightly. At first she thought it was only heat haze, but as she focused closer she made out a humanoid shape. It was tall and thin, arms that stretched right to the hull beneath it. The distance and the darkness of the void behind concealed its full shape, the edges blurring into the empty blackness behind it.

Her finger slipped onto the trigger and her breathing began to steady and slow, preparing to shoot. Range was extreme, but the rifle could handle it. Window would present a problem, but not for an armour-piercing AM slug. She checked the HUD readout to make sure she was equipped for armour piercing. In the scope the figure shifted and turned, and she could almost believe it had seen her. There were no features, but she knew it was watching. Her finger pulled back slowly until she found the bite point, her heartrate dropping until she could feel it in her fingertips.

"What the fuck is that?"

The shout jerked her out of her near-trance and she instinctively jerked the rifle up to point to the ceiling, her trigger finger releasing entirely. She snapped her head over to see Jack pointing out of the window.

Thane and Kasumi were the other two closest, and quickly moved to position, scanning the Reaper as well. "What did you see?" Thane asked after a moment of searching.

"Something was on the side of the fucking hull."

"I see nothing."

"It's right there!" She pointed to the exact location Shepard had been aiming at. She quickly fitted her eye to the scope but couldn't find the creature again.

"I don't see anything," Garrus said. Shepard glanced back to see he had his rifle out as well. On her other side Zaeed was checking as well.

"There's nothing there."

"I know what I saw."

"Heat haze. Distance from planet minimal. Distortion waves caused by-"

"I didn't see a fuckin' heat haze I saw a fuckin' person standing on the outside of the fuckin' ship."

Miranda stepped over as well. "Calm down Jack."

"Don't tell me to fuckin' calm down I know what I saw."

"Jack." Shepard's tone silenced them all. "There is nothing there now. Since it hasn't come closer we should keep moving. It was probably one of the geth."

Miranda raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "On the outside of the ship?"

"If it was searching for tech, perhaps. Tali how's the door?"

"Almost there."

"We go back to hand signals from now on people. We are about to enter a Reaper. Stay sharp."

She waited until all of them had nodded, then fell back to her position. "Tali. On your mark."

The door cycled open and Tali immediately dropped back to let Grunt and Jacob past and into the Reaper. They swept every direction with their rifles before moving a short way inside, Grunt once more in the lead. After a moment they came back and Jacob signalled the all clear.

Shepard nodded the techs and biotics forwards, then followed a moment later with Garrus and Zaeed in tow.

Darkness and silence closed over them. Even the subtle clanks and humans of a ship in working order faded into nothing. Their footfalls were muted, no echo. She watched as ahead Grunt and Jacob moved into scouting positions, still on the Cerberus walkway. But it was impossible to ignore the looming shadow of the Reaper.

Above them the ceiling pressed down upon their heads. On either side the tunnel they had found themselves in stretched on further than Shepard could see. It was impossible to tell whether the tunnel actually curved, or whether it was so long that it gave the illusion of bending. As they stood there she heard noises from deep within the hull that didn't sound like the usual shifting of metal.

She stepped closer to the edge of the rail, grabbing it a second later as the ship yawed hard to one side, slamming her stomach hard into the metal bar. She braced herself and managed to stay upright, which was more than could be said for the rest of the team. Kasumi yelped as she slammed hard to the floor and Tali tripped over a floor panel.

When they finally righted she toggled her comm link. The less than cheery voice of Joker came through strong. "Normandy to shore party."

"What just happened?"

"The Reaper put up kinetic barriers. I don't think we can get through from outside."

Miranda had heard the exchange. "So we're trapped. Wonderful."

Before anyone else could comment Shepard stepped forward and waved for attention. "We'll have to take down the barrier generators from in here." She turned to see Tali pulling herself to her feet. "Any idea where they are?"

"I am not exactly an expert in the layout of Reaper ships."

EDI's voice came over the squad-link. "At the moment of activation I detected a heat spike in what is likely the wreck's mass effect core. Sending the coordinates now. Be advised, this core is also maintaining the Reaper's altitude."

Jacob shook his head. "So when we take the barriers down to escape the wreck falls into the planet core."

"That's a risky move Shepard," Joker said.

"If any helmsman can pull us off this thing before it reaches crush depth it's you."

He came back a moment later. "Well there's no chance that'll stay with me. I'll struggle to get over that." She actually heard him sigh into the mic. "I'll get you out."

"We'll be leaving as soon as we find the IFF."

"Aye aye. Good hunting."

She ended the connection and looked to the squad. "You heard."

"I heard we're up shit fucking creek without a fucking paddle."

"Enough." Jack flinched and could only stare as Shepard glared her down. "Get back into formation. We need to find that IFF." She shifted her glare to Grunt, who stood up straight. "Move out."

They headed down the walkway a short distance, then abruptly stopped at the first intersection. Jacob signalled back.

_Bodies._


	62. error title not found

**Chapter 61: error title not found**

_Condition? _She signalled.

_Standard._ She had decided to keep things simple when it came to reporting bodies. Either they showed evidence of Reaper-tech, or they had died normal deaths. She nodded to Mordin, who moved into position next to Jacob and crouched next to the bodies.

His examination took barely a minute and he dropped back to join her.

"Multiple corpses. Unsure of exact number. Significant burns. Total incineration a possibility."

"Any indication of what did it?"

"Uncertain. Geth unlikely."

"Not the geth?"

"Geth resort to flamethrower as last resort option. Ample cover and significant range for firefight, flamethrower poor choice for stealth."

"So either we have a third unidentified party or this group somehow incinerated themselves." She shook her head. "That's comforting. Back to position."

They pushed further along the catwalk, Shepard trying to avoid looking at the Reaper whenever possible. The length of the tunnel they were in was simply astounding, the further reaches even obscured by what looked like mist. Cables and wires hung from the ceiling, and strange noises echoed in the deeps, the clanking and groans of metal settling, falling, then settling again. But behind that there was more, a rushing of wind through the chamber they were standing in, as if the thing was breathing.

Ahead of her Jack was even more twitchy than ever, her shotgun never settling in one place as she jumped at shadows. Strangely enough Kasumi seemed to be doing the same thing, nervously checking the heat sink on her submachine gun half a dozen times as Shepard watched. Something clanked from further in and while they all started Kasumi practically leapt into the air before dropping right down to the deck and scanning the walkway ahead of them.

_It's just nerves._ She shoved down the insidious thought that told her it wasn't. That they had disturbed something dark and dead. That such things needed, for safety and peace, to be let alone. She knew strange things lurked in the unexplored reaches of space. The rachni had sprung from such a place. Whenever people delved too deeply into the furthest reaches it never ended well.

A noise from ahead startled her out of her reverie and she looked ahead to see Jacob signalling another terminal. She nodded to Tali and they crept forwards to join Grunt, who was standing at the computer. Tali scanned it and nodded that it was safe, opening the work log as she did so.

The voice wasn't the same as before. A younger man was speaking. This time there was no video, but it was clear he was speaking with someone.

"You're married? You never mentioned that."

"Katy had anger management issues." That voice she recognised. The researcher who had questioned Chandana's findings. "When my brother got married the best man tried to hit on her. She kicked him down the church steps."

"Wh-? Katy's my wife; I must have told you that story."

Shepard felt a chill go down her spine as the man responded. "No, I know my wife. I remember, that day was the only time I saw her wear stockings."

"Yeah, the kind with seams at the back…" The man sounded as though the full import of what he was saying was only just hitting him. "That's what I remember too."

"What the hell is this? How can we remember the same thing?"

A gunshot boomed behind her and she dropped to the deck, pistol out and focusing on the source. Half the team had dropped as well, leaving Kasumi, Jack and Samara standing. Jack's shotgun was still smoking from the round she had discharged. Her eyes were wild and fierce as she aimed again at something Shepard couldn't quite make out.

Shepard got to her feet and started forwards but Garrus got there first, twisting Jack into an armlock and kicking out her knee from behind. She dropped hard to the desk, the shotgun skittering away. Miranda grabbed it and closed it as Shepard reached Jack's side.

"Jack, talk to me, what did you see?"

"I saw it; it came from nowhere it just stepped out of the bulkhead and I, I…" Her pupils suddenly constricted and she was able to focus on Shepard's face. "I saw it Shepard."

She grabbed Jack's shoulders and held her steady. "What did you see Jack?"

"It, I don't." She sagged a little in Shepard's grip. "I thought… What?"

"Shepard there was nothing there." Garrus was right next to her, speaking as softly as he could. "All scans are clean."

"Shepard I saw something." Jacks' voice was pleading. "I know I did."

Miranda had appeared at her other shoulder. "We don't have for this."

Her temper broke free for a second. "Dammit Miranda-"

"I mean, let me take Jack."

She nodded slowly, trying to gauge the request. But if she didn't have time to coddle one crewmember then she definitely didn't have time to figure out any changes in crew relationships. She stepped back and turned to the crew, who were back in formation and all clearly trying not to stare at Jack.

"Grunt, Jacob, scout ahead." The shotgun blast had destroyed any chance at stealth, so she went back to talking. "Looks like there may be fuel lines ahead. Maybe that's what killed the crew. Check for obvious sabotage or traps. Tali, Kasumi, you're with them."

She turned back to see Jack getting to her feet, supported by Miranda and Garrus. She had her shotgun back in hand and was looking much more stable. Before Shepard could ask if she was good to go there was a scream from ahead of them.

"Contact." Came Jacob's terse assessment as assault rifle fire echoed off the walls.

Samara and Thane were already moving to support as she turned to give the order, Mordin and Tali behind them. "Miranda?" She turned to see the woman already heading forwards, Jack at her side. The gunfire ahead increased in volume as she drew her rifle and set the scope to her eye. Next to her Garrus' rifle boomed and she was just in time to watch a husk disintegrate into scrap and ichor.

While part of her wondered where they had come from she found one of the desiccated things in her scope and fired, splitting it in two with the force of the round. The bullet carried on and took a second husks arm off. She racked the action and triggered the squad-comm.

"Jacob, what have we got?"

There was a long pause before he responded, and the roar of gunfire didn't abate for a second. "We're gonna be overwhelmed if we don't do something clever."

Grunt's voice broke into the conversation. "These tanks are filled with fuel."

"Understood." She fired again, and the husk she shot exploded, the shockwave knocking Thane to one side. "Everyone fall back in sequence," she said. "Forwards to my position."

The techs went first, leaving only Grunt and Jacob to keep up the suppressing fire, the biotics keeping barriers topped off. Garrus and Zaeed switched to their assault rifles, letting the others fall back. Shepard stayed where she was, but shifted her aim to one of the fuel lines, putting a round through it.

Fuel spilled out onto the gantry, coating one of the husks and spreading rapidly until it was streaming off the sides and down into the depths of the Reaper. Shepard triggered the incendiary charge and fired it as quickly as possible. The fuel ignited, a wall of flame shooting up and incinerating half the husks in a single blast. The fire continued to burn as she switched back to regular ammunition.

There was no need though, the few husks the fire hadn't utterly destroyed were being quickly reduced to nothing but their electronic components. One of them tried to crawl towards the squad but fell apart before it got outside the puddle.

The fuel burned fast and soon enough left nothing but some isolated lumps of charred flesh and sparking circuitry.

The team regrouped by the fuel tanks, checking heat sinks and shields.

"That was not fun," Garrus said as he passed a spare sink to Jacob.

Jack was still twitching. Shepard put a hand on her shoulder and she didn't flinch away. Instead she looked Shepard in the face, plainly terrified.

"I thought the husks were the creation of the geth?" Samara said as she settled her assault rifle in her arms.

"Prominent theory. Husks as Reaper tech." Mordin cocked his head to one side as he examined the pile of sludge that had once been husks. "Confirmation of theory."

"Thank you for the assessment Doctor." Shepard let go of Jack's shoulder and turned to the party. "Let's keep moving."

"Have another terminal Commander."

Shepard stepped over to Jacob's position and activated the work log.

"Third day with this headache." It was one of the voices from before, one of the men arguing about his wife. "You'd think Chandana would let me have a few hours off… God damn!" They all jumped as the man's voice suddenly rose.

"What?" Another one of the researchers.

"That thing that just… grey thing!" Shepard's head snapped up and she looked back to Jack, who met her eyes with the same panic in them. "It disappeared when I looked straight at it. Came out of the damn wall. Where we took off that panel."

"I didn't see anything. You should lie down."

"I'm telling you this ship isn't dead. It knows we're inside it."

"Calm down. Now I'm getting a headache."

The recording ended. Shepard stayed still for several long moments, focusing on bringing her breathing under control. Not going mad then. Or were they all going mad? She realised she was gripping the terminal hard enough that the frame had started to buckle. Her enhanced muscles had been triggered. She remembered Chakwas' words about high stress situations. If it got any worse she'd be seeing in slow motion again.

"It sounds like the atmosphere of this place started to get to them."

"The atmosphere?" Jack rounded on Miranda. "We fight an army of creeps and you're telling me it's the atmosphere?"

"Clearly these men were disturbed long before any sort of attack happened. We have no evidence that the geth didn't bring the husks, or that they weren't already here."

"Think about what you're saying Miranda." Shepard finally stepped back from the console. "The geth? You saw that ship's profile; it couldn't even have fit half the numbers we just fought, let alone enough to take down a Cerberus strike team. And where would they have come from before?"

The slow sinking horror of what she was saying began to hit the others. She nodded, her face grim. "That's right. That number of husks, all humanoid. And this thing's been deserted for thirty seven million years?" She saw Garrus' mandibles flare. "Those were human pattern husks. They were made in the last thirty years, maximum."

Even Miranda looked scared now.

"Oh god," Kasumi said.

"Exactly. Cerberus wasn't the first to find this Reaper. Just the latest. It's been assimilating humans for decades."

Jack was shaking her head. "I told you. I told you I heard something and you didn't believe me but it's there, you just have to listen. It was in the back of my head. Like the second before a biotic flare." She looked at Shepard again. "It's still here."

"Right." Shepard could almost feel the fear in her crew now. "Now we know what we're dealing with. Indoctrination, on a faster and more brutal scale than we've seen before. That means precautions. We pair up. Everyone has a buddy to watch them for unusual behaviour. We stay closer. We move faster, and we keep talking to each other."

"You really think we can beat Reaper indoctrination with witty banter?" Jacob asked.

Shepard forced herself to grin at Garrus. "Worked for us before didn't it?" She looked over to Tali. "Isn't that right?"

Tali was standing stock still, her arms hanging at her sides, shotgun dangling from her fingers. Shepard realised she was mumbling something, muffled by the helmet. _Oh no._

She marched over and grabbed Tali, shaking her hard. "Tali. Tali come on. Listen to my voice."

She could make out the words now, though they didn't make much sense to her. "To nie je mŕtvy koito mogat vechen lŭzha. I so strannymi eonov net mirtį gali mirti." She repeated it again and again.

"Somebody get her to stop doing that shit."

"Jack shut up." Shepard looked back only for a second. "Tali, come on. This is Commander Shepard. Listen to my voice. Stop this now." She put every bit of command she could into those three words, every gunny sergeant who had ever kicked her rookie ass to the dirt, every Admiral who had delivered a command as he would the will of god.

It got through, Tali jerked in her grip, then suddenly collapsed forwards into her arms. A moment later she was herself again, standing and shaking her head. "Ooh, what happened?"

"You gave us all a big damn scare, that's what." Shepard turned back to the crew once more, trying to hide her relief. "Garrus, you're with Tali. Grunt, Jacob, you're working well so far, keep it that way." She quickly ran through the list in her head, those she considered to be the most level headed against those at risk, including herself. "Samara, Mordin. Thane, Zaeed. Kasumi, Jack. Miranda you stick with me."

As they moved into their new positions Miranda leaned in close to Shepard's ear. "Who's watching who here?"

"I've been seeing the same stuff as Jack. I need someone to keep me grounded."

Miranda was taken aback. "Me?"

"Sure." Shepard finally drew her rifle again. "Garrus and Tali were already taken after all."

The outrage on Miranda's face was quickly replaced by a grin.

"That's the spirit." Shepard pitched her voice louder again. "Right. Move out."

They followed the catwalk as it went back up again, allowing them another view of the tunnel stretching on to infinity before them. The wind that howled through the tunnels was beginning to pick up, tugging at any exposed skin or hair. It washed over them from one direction, then back the other way. A slow but steady rhythm. The breath of an ancient deity made flesh.

There were more bodies ahead, mutilated and shredded. Mordin went to make an examination but Shepard pulled him back. It was clear enough these men had been ripped apart by husks. She recognised the wound patterns well enough herself. And sure enough as they rounded a corner three husks spotted them and turned, mouths dropping open to unleash the whining shriek, like rusted metal being dragged against flint.

One of the husks made a step forward and its head exploded before any of her team could even get their weapons aimed. As the sound of the gunshot reached them the second husk dropped with half its chest missing. The third husk turned away from them to face further into the Reaper and was promptly blasted off its feet by a third shot.

None of her team had even managed to draw a bead in the time three husks had been taken down. Whatever was shooting couldn't have been human. Even with her enhanced reflexes she doubted she could have made the shot.

"Garrus," she hissed.

He looked back and she signalled him forwards. He nodded and commando crawled to the very edge of the gantry, leaning out for a split second to scan the area the bullets had come from. He ducked back, unfolding his sniper rifle and setting the scope to his eye. He leaned out again for slightly longer, then drew back and made the return crawl.

"Can't see the shooter. A survivor from the science team?"

"With shooting that good? Not likely." She considered options. If the sniper had been good enough to take out the husks he would probably have been able to take out Garrus as well if he'd wanted to. They had no choice but to keep moving. "Alright move up. Eyes open people."

Garrus and Tali went first, covering each other as they advanced deeper in. Shepard watched each pair move out in sequence until finally she followed behind, Miranda at her side.

The tunnel constricted as they moved in, and the rising and falling wind which had so disturbed her abated. But before she could begin to relax another deeper sensation of wrongness came over her. She tried to find the cause, checking each of her teammates in turn to see if they showed any signs of it. As expected Jack and Tali were both looking uncomfortable, and she didn't like the way Zaeed was tapping his finger right alongside his trigger as he checked a darkened nook.

It came to her slowly, the answer. A throbbing low at the base of her skull, a deep roar from far away and deep within. No longer from the passage of air but from something else that pulsed and pounded through the ship on all sides around them. The walls seemed almost to shift in time as she watched them, in and out and in and out. On every side they were closed in, the ceiling close enough that they could reach out and touch it, the walls so close they touched the sides of the walkway they were on.

Shepard's blood beat in time with the rhythm in her head and she knew it couldn't be a coincidence. Her own body was betraying her, syncing her to the alien ship. She wondered how Saren or Benezia could have withstood the influence at all after so many days and months on Sovereign. In her head was nothing but the desperate urge to put down her weapon and lie down. To fall asleep until an order reached her ears.

Zaeed swore suddenly and raised his rifle to fire, stopping a moment before. They all dropped to the deck and looked to him as he slowly, deliberately, raise the rifle to point to the ceiling and crouched. "Nothing there," he said. "There's nothing there."

Shepard looked ahead to where Garrus and Tali were still in the lead. Zaeed had been pointing his rifle right at Garrus' back.

"What was it?" Shepard asked.

"Nothing," he snarled. "Absolutely goddamn nothing."

She nodded, but shot a look to Thane, trying to wordlessly let the assassin know what to do. Thane's head moved a fraction of an inch, possibly a nod of understanding. She hoped it was, she didn't want to affect the mood of the team anymore if she didn't have to.

"Keep moving."

Ahead she could see the area opening up and came to a stop. "Alright people. Take this slow. This looks like a pretty perfect ambush spot."

There was almost no cover in the space ahead. It was an entirely flat square of metal suspended in mid-air above a sheer drop into the centre of the Reaper. Pale white mist was rising from the walls to cover everything in a haze. It was difficult to see even to the end of the platform, but from the walls there seemed to be long thin spikes, reaching out towards them from every angle like the teeth of some nightmare creature.

"Spikes likely for husk conversion." She looked to Mordin, who was quivering from head to foot, his head snapping around as though he was trying to see every single spike at once. His chatter had accelerated until it was difficult to make out individual words. "Sleeping abnormalities wake to resurgent life. Surviving nightmares squirm and splash out of black lairs. Newer, wider conquests. Reaper awaits measureless eons behind history. Vast loathsome shapes." They were starting to group closer together. Samara had grabbed Mordin and was talking to him, trying to break through, but he was getting louder and more hysterical. Corpse city. Corpse planet. Dead planet. Dead galaxy. Hidden in atramentous vaults the Reaper waits dreaming."


	63. 0b111110

**0b111110**

Mordin pitched forwards, eyes rolling back in their sockets, and a long and hideous scream washed over them from all sides, the electronic screech that dragged over the dead throat of a husk. Shepard snapped her pistol up and saw fingers clasping vice-like from the underside of the platform as a husk hauled itself up.

"Open fire!" She barely needed to finish the command as every gun rose and erupted as one, the flash punching back the fog for a moment to reveal every inch of the platform now under siege as the husks dragged themselves up from below. Several of them exploded like grenades when they were shot, scattering limbs and parts off into the darkness.

They fell into a circle, guns pointing outwards and shielding Mordin, still unconscious on the floor. Shepard switched to her submachine gun and sprayed fire across every husks she saw, knocking several of them loose to tumble into the abyss. The roar of the automatic fire was deafening as it re-echoed off the walls around them, increasing in pitch and intensity until it mimicked full scale war. The screams and cries of the husks dying around them amplified a thousandfold, threatening to push them further past the brink of panic.

The waves came with greater and greater force. Dozens, then hundreds of husks all fighting to clamber up to fight them, a solid wall of flesh that was barely fazed by the bullets being poured into it. Bodies dropped and soon disappeared below the steady march of the oncoming swarm.

Shepard glanced back and realised they were all but surrounded, their only escape the narrow path back the way they had come. In the centre of the platform they were vulnerable, but with the bottleneck they stood a chance, no matter how small, at survival. Their only hope was that the husks remained shambolic, instead of displaying the lethal bursts of speed she knew they were capable of.

"Prepare to fall back," she said as she reloaded. "When we move be prepared for the charge."

"Hold Shepard." Samara's voice was surprisingly calm. "I will buy us some time."

"Samara?"

"No time to explain."

On Samara's other side Miranda took a step closer. "I'll help."

Something else her team had been working on without telling her. She shook her head to clear it of everything except what she had to do. Another heat sink ran dry, and her pouch was over halfway gone as well. She racked the new clip home and put down a scion that had begun to crawl over the top.

"Fall back!"

They turned and fled as one, Grunt seizing Mordin and hauling him over his shoulder. Only Samara and Miranda still stood as the husks shrieked and bent low, preparing to sprint. Shepard spared one look back before putting on every ounce of energy she had to make it back through the enclosing horse.

The air sizzled and electrified, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end as a massive biotic pulse expanded from where Samara and Miranda stood back to back. Every husk on the platform was shoved back against the rails, several pitching over or slamming straight through. The biotic bubble extended right to the very corners of the platform before dissipating into electric blue sparks.

Samara and Miranda swayed, easy pickings for the husks which now began to reform and find their feet again.

"Someone-" Shepard couldn't even think of who might be capable of rescue, but she didn't have to as Grunt and Jack raced forwards.

Jack was like a comet, blue fire streaking off her to torch any husk which tried to get too close as she grabbed Miranda and hauled her back to the line. Grunt simply smashed straight through anything in his path, throwing Samara over his shoulder and turning on his heel. She had recovered enough to give him covering fire as he got back behind the crates Jacob and Zaeed had moved into position as cover.

"How the fuck do we get through this?" Jack yelled as she set Miranda down.

Shepard didn't answer; changing to her sniper rifle and putting a round clean through a scion's head. There seemed to be no end to the husks. She didn't see quite where they could be coming from though, as the platform wasn't close enough to the walls to admit so many, even with hidden panels. She leaned out over the rails and looked down into the mists.

Below the platform a support rod had been constructed, reaching down into the fog. It was overrun, a writhing mass of undulating bodies building to the platform. Hundreds, thousands of husks and scions all fighting to be first to the slaughter. The assault team were now on the makeshift barricade, rifles doing their best to keep the enemy back.

"Grunt." Shepard motioned him over to her position. "Missile launcher." She pointed down to the support beam and he grinned, taking the heavy launcher off his back and setting it to his eye.

The rocket launcher bucked in his hands and the blue missile spiralled out, briefly illuminating the disfigured limbs of the husks before it impacted against the side of the pillar, blasting away a dozen bodies in pieces. The platform creaking and groaned, yawning away from the wall and closer to the spikes. Metal bent and buckled, throwing the husks still on the platform back and off into the darkness. Grunt fired again and a second missile slammed home, severing the platform and plunging it down into the fog, taking every husk and scion with it.

They lay there for several long minutes, collecting their breath and watching the mists below to make sure nothing else was rising from beneath. Finally Shepard coughed and stood, reloading her rifle. "Ammo check. Anything we can find." She checked the damage they had done. It would be difficult to navigate round the gigantic hole in the gantries, but not impossible. "Thane, Samara, find us a way around, safe as possible."

"On it Shepard."

"How's Mordin?"

"Awake Shepard. Momentary lapse of consciousness not voluntary. Salarian vulnerability to Indoctrination not exaggerated. Felt beginnings, already too late."

"Happens to the best of us. Okay. Anyone who has already begun to feel the effects we need to keep track of this. Stick close to your partner and tell them when you feel any difference in your operational capacity." She waited until they had all nodded, then looked over to where Thane and Samara had made it to the next door. "Alright. Follow their lead and move out."

As she supervised the delicate climb Shepard found herself checking the spikes more. She recognised the design from Eden Prime.

"We've seen these before." Garrus said. "Dragon's Teeth, your people call them."

"You see how the room is arranged?" she said quietly. "They treated this thing like some kind of altar." Off in the distance she could see the shapes of humans on the end of the spikes, wearing Cerberus uniforms. It could only be the science team.

"It does look like that. But why would they want this to happen?"

"You heard the logs. They were seeing things, hearing things. They were being indoctrinated."

"And now so are we."

She gave him a faint smile. "We can't help these people now. And we aren't going to be next, I'm determined."

Finally only the two of them were left to make the traverse. On the other side Shepard saw a terminal and went to it, opening the only uncorrupted work log still left.

"Chandana said the ship was dead." One of the researchers. She couldn't even pleace which one his voice was so hoarse and broken. "We trusted him. He was right. But even a dead god can dream." _Oh god._ Shepard bent her head over the console. "A god — a real god — is a verb. Not some old man with magic powers. It's a force. It warps reality just by being there. It doesn't have to want to. It doesn't have to think about it. It just does. That's what Chandana didn't get. Not until it was too late. The god's mind is gone but it still dreams. He knows now. He's tuned in on our dreams. If I close my eyes I can feel him. I can feel every one of us."

"The indoctrination of these scientists took weeks." Thane's voice was remarkably calm. It was like an anchor amongst the chaos. "We have been affected within the span of a few hours. Why might this be?"

"I have a theory." Miranda still sounded in control, but her voice was definitely beginning to waver. "But I doubt anyone's going to like it."

"What is it Miranda?"

"I think it's waking up. Getting stronger somehow."

"You and your goddamn scientists," Zaeed growled. "Went poking around looking for secrets and guess what? You found them. Maybe the Illusive Man should have given some thought to whether he should have gone after these. Some things outta stay buried."

"That's enough Zaeed. This isn't Miranda's fault, and blaming the Illusive Man doesn't exactly help us now."

"Well what is going to help us Shepard?" Tali spoke for the first time since her breakdown. "We don't even know if they got the IFF before they all went completely insane."

"Even if they didn't we have to. The Reaper core, it's out only hope. We can shut down the shields and take the IFF while we're there." Shepard tried to look all of them in the eye. "I swear to you we will make it out of here. Alive." She pointed to the locked door. "Tali. Open that."

"Yes ma'am."

As the airlock cycled open an automated voice came over the system. "All employees be aware of a recent employee death. Researcher Elwas Haverny's life signs have just flatlined."

_Just._ Shepard looked back to where the platform had collapsed into the void. _We have to get out of here._

They had finally come to the outside of the hull again, where they could see the ragged edges from where the eezo round had impacted with the Reaper millions of years before. _When this thing got shot humans hadn't even begun to evolve from apes._ She shook her head at that. The numbers were too big to even comprehend, that entire civilisations had been eradicated before her oldest ancestors even could have existed on earth. How did anyone stand a chance against something like that?

She shook her head to clear that thought, hoping it was just the Reaper's influence. Taking out her pistol again she spotted three husks milling around on the edge of the catwalk. She signalled Jacob and Grunt forwards but before they could even take a step shots rang out and the three husks were blasted in half.

"It's that damn sniper again." Zaeed had his rifle out scanning the far end of the gantries.

Shepard followed his lead, scanning and focusing on a familiar silhouette. A geth platform, sniper rifle in hand and a hole through the centre of its chest piece. It was close enough that she could have taken its head off with a twitch of her finger, but it wasn't aiming at her, and it had taken down the husks.

It observed her, head tilting left and right before it dipped in what was unmistakeably a nod. "Shepard-Commander."

Its voice was mechanical, clearly generated by a basic speech system, but it was a shock to hear. No geth had ever spoken to her. To the best of her knowledge no one had spoken to the geth since they disappeared behind the Perseus Veil. Before she could respond or order her squad to do anything it disappeared behind a metal strut.

Grunt snorted. "Geth talk. Since it knows you, tell it I don't need its help."

"Since when do geth operate alone?" Garrus said, turning to Tali. "They get smarter the more of them there are."

"I don't think that was a regular geth," Tali said. "Did you see the hole in its chest? Usually geth travel with full support to repair any damages. This one must be a sole operative."

Miranda raised an eyebrow. "Geth can do that?"

"I've heard stories from other quarian patrols, but I've never seen one myself. They have a tendency to explore some of our old colonies, our most sacred places. We destroy them where we can."

"This is all fascinating," Jacob cut into the conversation. "But we should keep moving."

"He's right. Into positions. Heavy assault up front, techs and biotics behind."

Now that they were out of the Reaper she was finding it much easier to keep a clear head. When all she had to do was look to the left and see the roiling surface of the planet or the cold blackness above it focused her pretty quickly. Switching to her submachine gun Shepard watched as her team moved across the gantries, covering both levels and making sure that no unpleasant surprises awaited them.

Halfway along An explosion alerted her to the danger a moment before a biotic blast knocked Kasumi clear off her feet to slam heavily into the deck. They whirled round to see two scions coming up behind them, hurling biotic blasts that hammered at their shields. Samra and Miranda stepped into position, holding their arms up and flaring blue as they erected a barrier to protect against the attacks.

Shepard was about to give the orders to attack the scions when gunfire came from up ahead. She twisted to see Grunt and Jacob being engaged by a dozen husks, dropping down from the hole in the hull above them. She looked up to see hundreds of bodies clustering at the edge of the hole. Doubtless the ones they had left alive earlier.

"Forwards," she shouted. "Thane and Zaeed to the back, keep these scions off us." Another blast made Samara and Miranda's field warp. "Jack. Help them shore this up. Garrus, get up front and help Grunt and Jacob punch through." The thought of accidentally separating her team terrified her. She quickly drew her sniper rifle. "Keep the corridor open," she said to Garrus as he moved forwards.

"What about us?" Tali asked.

"Get ready to shift."

"Yes ma'am," Kasumi's voice was strained but not hurt.

Shepard gave herself another second to check that the three assault squad members were holding back the husks, then turned to see Miranda already beginning to weaken. Jack was helping keep the barrier in place, but her power was erratic, not suited to constant shielding.

"Ready?" She said to Zaeed, also armed with a sniper rifle.

"Give the order."

"Knees first." Shepard snapped her AM rifle to her eye. "On three ladies."

"No time," Miranda's power flickered and died, Jack's overloading for a moment before dying out. Samara held the barrier for one more biotic attack before it disappeared entirely, but in that moment Zaeed and Shepard both fired.

The heavy rounds blasted the scions legs clean in half, dropping them onto their sides. The other three took full advantage, drawing their submachine guns and riddling the bodies until they popped.

"Move!" Shepard turned on her heel, reloading on the run as she sprinted for the hold they had made in the sea of husks. She felt thin fingers grasp at her armour before she was through to the other side, switching to her submachine gun, pistol in her left hand, and turning to empty fire into the back of the crowd. The hole began to close but an explosion from an incendiary charge left a big enough gap for the techs to sprint through, Mordin's pistol still smoking from the charge.

"Good thinking," she said as she reloaded. "Cover fire."

The husks had begun to realise that there was prey on either side, but they weren't nearly organised enough to take advantage of the team being scattered. Half the crowd turned to Shepard and her little squad while the rest tried to push through the bullet hell of the assault rifles. The thump of a missile launcher was dimly heard and a moment later the biotics were sprinting through the smoke to join them.

With only three left on the other side the husks turned their attention to Shepard's side, dozens still dropping from above to attack them.

"Flanks!" Jack yelled, and Shepard looked to see more husks crawling over the platform to their left.

"Biotics," she said. The four split off to erect another barrier while taking out the husks as best they could.

She primed an incendiary charge, Mordin doing the same next to her. They fired in unison and blasted another hole large enough for Garrus, Jacob and Grunt to come sprinting through.

"Garrus," she said the moment he landed next to her. "Burn 'em!"

Garrus dragged the M-451 off his back and opened fire at once, torching the entire first line.

Confident that the front line was temporarily safe she turned to the others. "Grunt."

His eyes were wild with the joy of battle. She wished she could feel similar excitement.

She nodded to where the husks were taking on the biotic shield. "Melt 'em."

His lips split into a wide smile as he took the particle beam off his back, stepping past the biotics and opening fire before they even had a chance to get the field down.

It dropped the moment the beam touched it, and then Grunt was laughing out loud as he dragged the thin orange line across the husks, melting them into puddles of goop on contact, and cutting those few that survived in half. It was an awe-inspiring, terrifying, sight.

Shepard took a moment to bend over and drag some breath into her lungs. Garrus kept up a solid wall of fire that destroyed anything that touched it, and Grunt was never going to be overtaken while he had the beam in hand.

"Find us a way out," she said to Kasumi and Tali, who nodded and vanished off up the walkways. She looked to the others fighting. "Start moving," she said. "Follow Tali and Kasumi. Keep up the covering fire."

It was hardly necessary, once they moved onto the narrow walkways the combination of flame and particle beam was enough to keep the husks away. After a moment Garrus and Grunt stopped firing, but the flames remained, burning anything that tried to attack them.

"Keep an eye on that," Shepard said to Jacob, heading over to where Kasumi and Tali were trying to crack open a gigantic wheel-lock door that reminded Shepard of Hock's vault. "How's it going?"

"We'll be through in a moment." Even as she said it Kasumi's omni-tool binged and the door began to circle into unlocked position.

"Everyone gather up, once we're through we're locking this damn thing."

"You think that'll do any good?"

"It'll keep some of the husks out. And this place has been ripped to pieces, we'll be able to find some way out."

The door cycled open and they piled inside, Tali the last one through triggering it to close as she went.

They were inside a small lab area, a body in the corner dressed in Cerberus uniform.

"Commander." Miranda's voice sounded dull in the confines of the room. Shepard walked over to find her staring at the lab desk.

A tiny box was sitting there.

"Don't tell me."

"That's it. The Reaper IFF."

"Jesus." Jack had leaned back against the wall, banging her head softly. "All that for a fuckin' door stop?"

It was small enough that Shepard could pick it up one handed, the hard edges digging into her fingers. There was an upraised cylinder just off centre to the square. She couldn't help but agree with Jack's assessment. "Kasumi?"

The thief took it and put it into her pack. "Can we go now?" She asked wryly.

"We take the barrier down and sure. Final ammo check?"

"Lot of surplus heat sinks," Jacob reported. "I think the Cerberus squad made their last stand here."

Miranda had moved to stare at the body in the corner. Shepard told Jacob to distribute the sinks and moved over to her. "Someone you knew?"

"Hmm?" Miranda looked up with a distracted expression. "Oh. This is Chandana."

Shepard looked down to see a brown-skinned face, dark hair and a neat beard. He looked peaceful in death, which was at least some comfort after seeing the other researchers. "Did you know him well?"

"He contributed a little to the Lazarus Project in the beginning."

"What?"

"Don't worry. When he started talking about using Reaper technology to upgrade you he was moved to a new project."

"That's a relief. No Reaper tech in me at all?"

"The Illusive Man was determined that you be absolutely human. Resurrected only by technology of human design and making."

"The Illusive Man was determined? Not you?"

"No offence Shepard." Miranda gave a pointed look to the defeated looking crew. "But maybe that's a discussion for another time."

"Good point." Shepard turned back to the others. "Alright people. I know you're tired, but we're close now. According to the schematics EDI was able to mock up the core should be just past this lab. We destroy the core and we book. Drinks on Cerberus once we're off this heap."

"I'll drink to that." Jacob got back to his feet and drew his rifle. "Lead the way Commander."

Tali and Kasumi broke through the remaining doors that shielded them from the core, but now they were in a Cerberus tunnel, the walls uniform; square and white. They moved quickly through the airlocks, Shepard noting a side-tunnel near the centre that could be used for a quick escape, and finally came to another airlock that led back into the Reaper.

"When we get through I have no idea what we're going to see. But I want a concentrated on that core the moment we're through the door. That means heavy weapons."

"Ready when you are Shepard."

"Punch it."

The door opened to a faint blue screen of a force field. Beyond it they could see the Reaper core, a pulsing blue heart encased in a metal sheath. Before that was a console, and a geth stood there, a pistol in one hand as the other flew over the controls. Without looking it snapped a shot off and blasted the head from a husk that was creeping up on it.

The field dropped and they ran in to find the room surrounded in husks all advancing. Shepard didn't even have to give directions as her squad leapt to action, splitting into their pairs and moving round the outside of the room as she headed for the geth. Before she reached him there was a blast of energy from the core that crashed the platform to the floor.

Jacob was already hurrying up the deck to her. "All husks clear, but this place crawls Shepard."

"Grunt. Missile Launcher on the core. Garrus, give him a hand with the flamethrower."

"Understood."

As they opened fire Shepard went back to the geth. Tali was crouching beside it.

"Want it for target practice?" She asked.

Miranda had clearly spotted the look on her face. "This isn't like the rest of our crew Shepard. We have enough trouble."

"Tali you said no one's ever captured a geth intact."

"That's because it's incredibly stupid and dangerous!"

"You know the risks," Miranda said.

There was a loud bang behind them and she turned to see the core beginning to spew out blue fumes.

"There's no time for a debate." She nodded to Thane and Jacob, who moved over to lift it. "Get everyone to the access tunnel. I'll follow with Garrus and Grunt. Move out."

The team raced away as the core began to rumble, the entire ship shaking in unison with it. Shepard watched Grunt and Garrus pour the last of their fire into it and the core blinked out, the metal deforming around it from the strength of the explosions.

They didn't wait for her command, turning and sprinting as one back out of the room and down the hall. Shepard overtook them in a couple of strides and led them back to the service corridor she had seen. Sprinting along it they soon saw the backs of the rest of the team, and caught up with them just as they burst out of the far door and onto another platform suspended in the middle of nothing.

"Need a pickup Joker," she yelled into her comm unit, and a moment later the Normandy swung into view above them, mere feet from the platform they were on.

The ship was beginning to fall, the artificial gravity going haywire. If they didn't hurry the planet's mass would overtake them and they'd never make the jump, Shepard sprinted for the edge of the platform trusting the others to follow her lead.

"Open the portside airlock."

There was a crackle that might have been a response and she saw the door opening up. She looked back to see that Grunt had taken possession of the geth's body, hauling it in one hand with the missile launcher in the other. He raced past her and launched himself into the air, a ten foot swan dive that carried him right into the middle of the bullseye.

Miranda and Jack went next, Jack bundling into a ball while Miranda managed to look like an action star with her perfect long-distance jump pose.

The Reaper groaned and dropped an alarming few metres, but thankfully the gravity was still on their side. One by one they all leapt clear until only Shepard and Garrus were left, throwing themselves off the edge of the platform, arms outstretched to be caught by their teammates and hauled ashore. Thane slammed the emergency close the moment they were inside and the atmosphere returned in a rush.

Certain EDI would already have conveyed the information she triggered her suit comm anyway. "We're clear, go!"

The Normandy rumbled as it struggled for a moment against the gravity well of the planet, then smoothed out as they broke atmo and were away.

Shepard laid back on the floor and let her head sink to the cool plating below. "We did it guys. We're home free."


	64. Chapter 63: Legion

**AN:-** Man something weird happened with the chapter names and author's note for a minute there. Almost like something got into the system... Ah well, all done now! On with the show!

**Chapter Sixty-Three: Legion**

They gathered in the briefing room after a six hour sleep period that Chakwas ordered them to, distributing sleep medication to the entire crew with assurance that she would check to make sure they had taken it. The sleep seemed to clear the last of the wool from their heads, and Shepard was amazed at just how different she felt. She hadn't realised just how much paranoia and fear the Reaper had managed to cram into her head in such a short period of time.

Just another layer of danger to them she hadn't anticipated. They all called her the expert, but she probably knew less than any of the scientists. As they gathered around the table she didn't share that thought.

Miranda got straight to the heart of the matter of course. "I think we need to discuss the unique piece of salvage we recovered. For now we've stored it in EDI's AI Core." She met Shepard's gaze. "We need better equipment to fight the Reapers. An intact geth would be invaluable to Cerberus' cyberweapons division."

Jacob was on the other side of the table shaking his head. "We'll have to disagree on that ma'am. I saw enough of these things on Eden Prime. Space it."

"Cerberus has a bounty for an intact geth," Zaeed offered. "Pretty hefty chunk of cash."

"I want to know why it has a piece of N7 armour strapped to its chest," Garrus said.

Mordin hadn't stopped pacing since he woke up. "Perhaps battle trophy? Suggestive of emotional processing systems?"

"No," Tali said. "AIs do not have the emotion to take trophies. It was a convenient field repair for a sole unit, nothing more."

Shepard finally decided to get involved. Once Tali got involved in a geth debate the only outcome was an argument. "I've killed hundreds of these things but I've never had a chance to talk to one. This one tried to communicate with us. Hell it probably saved our lives. Why?"

"Reactivation poses significant risk to ship and crew. Not to be undertaken lightly."

"The doctor's right," Miranda said. "The geth is a risk. If you do so it should be for humanity's best interests, not your curiosity."

Grunt huffed in his corner. "I still think our best interests involve an airlock."

"I want a quick poll then. All in favour of spacing it?"

Half the hands went up.

"All in favour of activating it." The other half. Only Garrus hadn't voted. Shepard knew better than to ask his opinion in front of everyone. She considered carefully, but it was hard not to see its permanent destruction as anything other than murder of a sentient being. "I'm not deciding one way or the other until I know what we've got here. I want to start it up, interrogate it."

Miranda sighed. "If we activate it, there's no guarantee we can deactivate it again."

"Bullets can." Jack had spent most of the talk leaning against the far wall.

"That's not what I-"

"Thank you," she cut off another prospective argument. The tension between Jack and Miranda were starting to confuse and irritate her. "All, for your recommendations. But I've made my decision."

Tali turned and immediately stormed out of the room. Shepard pressed a finger to the bridge of her nose to try and stave off the headache she already felt building.

"So." Garrus' calm voice brought the room back to some semblance of order. "What about this Reaper IFF?"

EDI's hologram sprang to life. "I have determined how to integrate it with our systems. However, the device is Reaper technology. Linking it with the Normandy's systems poses certain risks."

Shepard nodded, she had already suspected as much. "I trust you EDI; I know you won't let anything happen to the ship."

"Understood Shepard. It may take several hours before the IFF is ready for shakedown, I will alert you as soon as it is ready."

"Sounds good." The hologram disappeared and she looked up to the others. "Prepare for the final push any way you wish. The bar's open downstairs, the hanger is free for sparring exercises. I'll keep you all informed. Dismissed."

They filed out to leave only herself and Garrus still in there.

"A geth Shepard?" He said the moment the door closed. "I know you've made some big decisions but this is pretty damn far."

"How far Garrus? Am I off the reservation yet?"

"Off the what?"

"Sorry, human slang. Crazy, Section Eight. Space-brained."

"Oh." He considered. "I don't know any more Shepard. This whole mission seems pretty crazy to me now." He leaned against the table. "What the hell are we even doing out here Shepard? Twelve of us against the Reapers?" He shoved back. "Ah hell with it. We're already crazy. A little more can't make things worse."

"Y'know Garrus I'm often surprised at how often that phrase comes right before everything getting worse."

"Our luck's gotta change sometime."

"Keep telling yourself that. I've got a geth to wake up."

/|\

Laid out on a bench in the AI core it was hard for her to see anything other than an enemy. Everything from the long slender limbs to the curve of the head had been ingrained into her senses and her memory as an object to be feared and destroyed on sight. Not once had a geth paused before attacking her, not once had they been anything other than complete hostiles.

And yet. Here this one lay. Damaged helping them bring down a Reaper. Having already fought on their side from afar. It had spoken to her directly, addressed her by name and rank. And of course there was that patch of armour. She could have asked EDI to confirm, or checked the serial number herself, but she didn't need to. She had known every millimetre of her gear, as every N7 soldier did. Every scratch, every dent. Every line of dura-mesh and patchwork quilt of wiring for the kinetic barriers. It had cannibalised part of her old armour set to patch itself together again. As she understood it that could only mean it had been to Alchera after her death.

So many questions, and she wasn't going to get any answers sitting around and pondering the thing.

She activated her omni-tool and turned on the shield system, localising it to the area immediately surrounding the geth.

EDI's voice came over the speakers. "I have isolated our systems and erected additional firewalls. I am prepared to resist any hacking attempts."

"Let's get going then." She toggled a few commands on her omni-tool and a moment later a charge went through the platform, electricity crackling over it and pouring into the gaping hole in the chest. The headlamp flickered slightly but there was no further sign of life. She triggered the charge again and this time it was successful. The light flared blue and the plate surrounding the head retracted.

Binary chatter emitted from a speaker somewhere on the thing's body and it sat, looking left and right, assessing the situation. It focused on her and swivelled, feet planting down on the deck as it rose to its full height and stalked towards her. Its every movement set alarm bells ringing in her head to put it down at once. It reached the edge of the forcefield and stopped chattering, looking her up and down.

"Can you understand me?" She forced herself to stay calm.

**Yes**. Its voice was flat and dull.

"Are you going to attack me?"

**No.**

"You said my name aboard the reaper, have we met?"

**We know of you.**

"You mean I've fought a lot of geth."

**We have never met.**

"No, you and I haven't, but I've met other geth." She couldn't quite grasp its use of we.

**We are all geth and we have not met you, you are Shepard, Commander, Alliance, human. Fought heretics. Killed by Collectors. Rediscovered on the Old Machine.**

_It must mean the Reaper. I suppose to a geth there's no need to call a spade anything other than a spade. _She moved on to a more pressing question.

"What do you mean heretics?"

**Geth build our own future. The heretics asked the Old Machines to give them the future. They are no longer part of us. We were studying the Old Machine's hardware to protect our future.**

That didn't ring true to her. Surely the geth and Reapers would have worked together as natural allies. "Are the Reapers a threat to you too?"

**Yes.**

"Why would they attack other machines?"

**We are different from them. Outside their plans.**

"What future are the geth building?"

**Ours.**

"Will anyone else be affected by whatever it is you're doing?"

**If they involve themselves, they will.**

She couldn't tell whether it was a threat or a simple mathematician's answers. Resolving to chase that line of inquiry later she moved to a different topic. "You aren't allied with the Reapers?"

**We oppose the heretics. We oppose the Old Machines. Shepard-Commander opposes the Old Machines. Shepard-Commander opposes the heretics. Cooperation furthers mutual goals.**

"You seem to know an awful lot about me."

**Extranet data sources. Insecure broadcasts. All organic data sent out are received. We watch you.**

It was unusual enough to hear someone use the correct grammar for a plural noun. And of course the entire situation was laughably insane. "You watch me or you watch organics?"

**Yes.**

"Which?"

**Both.**

_Definitely mathematician's answers then. _She went for the direct question. "You asking to join us?"

**Yes.**

"Then what should I call you?"

**Geth.**

"I mean you, specifically."

**We are all geth.**

It was like trying to surmount a language barrier. Without language. "What is the individual in front of me called?"

**There is no individual. We are geth. There are currently 1183 programs active within this platform.**

EDI's voice came across the speakers, making her jump. "My name is Legion, for we are many."

"That seems appropriate." -_ly creepy_

**Christian Bible, the Gospel of Mark. Chapter 5 Verse 9. We acknowledge this is an appropriate metaphor. We are Legion. A terminal of the geth. We will integrate into Normandy.**

She held out her hand and he examined it for a moment, then held out his own hand a few inches away from her in a mimicking gesture. She gripped his hand and shook it twice.

**We anticipate the exchange of data.** As she turned to leave he moved. **Shepard-Commander. While inactive we completed our analysis of the Reaper's data core.**

She turned back, already sensing another impending headache. "Did you find anything useful?"

**We were sent to the Old Machine to preserve the geth's future. We are prepared to reveal how. The heretics have developed a weapon to use against geth. You would call it a virus. It is stored on a data core provided by Sovereign. Over time, the virus will change us. Make us conclude that worshipping the Old Machines is correct**

"So why did you need to the Reaper corpse?"

**The heretics store their code in a quantum storage device Sovereign provided. To find and destroy the virus we needed to understand its code and data storage structures.**

"So the virus would give all geth the heretic's logic. And all geth would then go to war with organics."

**Yes.** Odd to hear a prophecy of war given so casually. **Geth believe all intelligent life should self-determinate. The heretics no longer share this belief. They judge that forcing an invalid conclusion on us is preferable to a continued schism.**

_Definitely can't read anything into that about human nature. Oh no, definitely not. _"I thought geth couldn't be hacked or get viruses. At least for more than a few seconds."

**Altered programs are restored from archives, new installations are deleted. The heretic weapon introduces a subtle operating error in our most basic runtimes. The equivalent of your nervous system. An equation with a result of 1.33382 returns as 1.33381. This changes the results of our higher processes. We will reach different conclusions.**

She had a little knowledge of how AI and VI programming worked, and the myriad labyrinth of different runtimes and operating systems that were required to allow a computer to perform the most basic task. She also had more than enough knowledge of how an incorrectly placed line of code could destroy an entire computer system, as long as it was placed in the correct place. "If it were released how quickly would this virus spread through your people?"

**We are networked via FTL comm buoys. Most would change within a day. Isolated platforms would remain unaffected until they rejoined the network.**

_This is indoctrination, plain and simple. And this thing is definitely an intelligent, sentient life form. I can't let this happen. _"You know where this thing is?"

**The heretic's headquarters station is on the edge of the Terminus. We will provide coordinates. Normandy's stealth systems are necessary to safely approach.**

"I won't let them brainwash your race, especially not to worship Reapers. You have my word on that."

**We will begin preparations.**

/|\

_We can never seem to catch a break._

She should have been asleep, if such a thing was even possible for her anymore. Instead she was up reading another new mission report. _Why is it that even crew who've been crew for less than a day still have things they need me to do?_ At the very least it was going to take some time before the IFF was installed, so they still had a little leeway.

A chime at her door alerted her to someone's presence. She frowned and triggered the security cam for the space outside and saw Miranda waiting there, shifting slightly from foot to foot. She went to the door and opened it.

"Shepard I need to talk to you."

"It's unusual to see you in my office for once Miranda." She went back to the desk and sat down, not bothering to close the report.

Miranda stood next to the desk, looking distinctly uncomfortable. "What I need to discuss requires privacy. Full privacy."

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "And so my office is the place to do that?"

"It is now." Miranda opened her hand and let a pile of cylindrical objects fall onto the desk. They were small, the size of a battery at the biggest.

Shepard's nose twitched as her memory implants got to work identifying the few she didn't already know on sight. Listening devices. Covert communications relays.

"What is this Miranda?"

Miranda waved at the room. "This is now clear. Completely. This is every bug we have had installed since day one on the Normandy in the captain's quarters. Every single one has been removed and is now in that pile."

Shepard leaned back in her chair. "And your office is not?"

"I'm not sure anyone's monitoring the tapes quite as diligently as your room or the cockpit or the battery, but yes I am under surveillance as well."

"The operative in charge of this project? The great Miranda Lawson? And they're spying on you?"

"The Illusive Man didn't rise to his position by wanton displays of trust Shepard. When you run one of the largest information organisations in the galaxy you need to take precautions."

"And one of those precautions is spying on your own people?" Shepard picked up one of the bugs and examined it. "Sounds like you might want to consider a change in career."

"It's a choice Shepard. And it's a good life."

"Yet here I sit, saviour of the galaxy according to half the vids I've seen, poor old TIM being forced to trust me to do a job he can't do, and all precisely because of my wanton displays of trust." She dropped the bug and looked Miranda right in the eye. "Funny that."

"What's your point Shepard?"

"Once Legion's mission is done we're going through the Omega-4 Relay. The IFF will be installed by the time we get back and we'll face the toughest fight any of us have ever seen. Well except me, Garrus and Tali I guess. High risk of dying. Good odds none of us will ever see anyone we love ever again." Shepard turned and activated Liara's holo. "Given the choice. I'd rather die as myself. Not another piece on someone's game board."

"I think I understand."

"We've got some time before we hit Phoenix Massing. I recommend sleep. And getting your affairs in order." She watched the woman's face carefully for any sign of emotion. It was clearly there, but its exact nature was unreadable as always. "I have one more request for you."

"Go ahead."

"I want the full reports from the Lazarus Project. What state my body was in when I was recovered, what you did to bring me back."

"Still worried that I snuck Reaper tech into you?"

"Would you give me your word you didn't?"

"Of course. You're one hundred percent human. Maybe some human synthetic material and prosthetics, but human."

"Then I believe you. But you wanted to didn't you?"

"At the time yes. But at the time I also wanted to implant a control chip in your brain in case you started going off message."

"You're not really comforting me Miranda."

"I'm glad I didn't. As you just said Shepard. Everyone deserves to live as themselves. I just don't understand why you want to relive what happened to you."

"Call it morbid curiosity maybe?" She found she was smiling. "Temet nosce."

Miranda's lip quirked up into a half smile. "Know thyself."

"Exactly."

"I'll get you the file Shepard. As much of it as I can."

"Thank you. See you at the debriefing."

**AN:- **So obviously having deliberately left out Author's Notes for the previous three chapters to try and maintain the right atmosphere I'm left with loads of stuff to explain and not enough space to do it. So clearly I won't be going over the last three chapters pointing out every reference to Lovecraft or Silent Hill or SCP Foundation because that would just take forever. I'll address some glaring errors and some questions here though.

Miranda's assessment of the Indoctrination is right (for this story at least.) The Reaper was dead and derelict for millions of years, then people starting visiting and it started to wake up, and its indoctrination powers got stronger as the years went by. So the first scavengers probably took months to even succumb to the desire to want to stay a little bit longer, then another few months to decide they wanted to stay for a while, then more months before the mental degradation, then more months before worship, then more months before indoctrination etc etc etc. As the Reaper began to wake its indoctrination grew stronger until by the time Cerberus scientists start poking around it takes only a few weeks at most for complete Indoctrination, and their poking kicks it into high gear, so the squad gets the most potent Indoctrination possible.

Reaper Indoctrination in general is a fascinating subject. It can clearly be very subtle, such as with Saren, or very brute force, as with the salarian test subjects. Definitely it can take effect after the Reaper's death and even if the Reaper is in bits, as we see that even pieces of Sovereign manage to influence a scientist in the ME3 Leviathan DLC. This suggests indoctrination isn't a conscious thing, but something Reapers just do by their very existence. I would imagine that the subtle coercion is only available to live Reapers though, so when their dead it's like being waterboarded with pure Reaper indoctrination. For one on the verge between waking and death like this one (hello Lovecraft reference) the indoctrination is immensely strong. Also, not all the crew are affected. I deliberately kept it to those with weaker minds or minds somehow damaged by recent events, not healed (Tali's fathers death is damaging, Garrus choosing mercy with Sidonis is healing, see also Thane vs Zaeed, closure vs unresolved issues) Mordin is affected because the test subjects in ME1 in Saren's base were salarians, so I've always had a minor headcanon about salarians being easier to indoctrinate, perhaps because their minds naturally process on a faster level, so they process Indoctrination faster as well.

And final note for previous chapters, I took out the last two gunfights because they were a bit too much. One big gunfight per chapter, that's kind of the rule for me. The platform gunfight was the big one for its terrifying zombie horde style intensity.

Some other stuff. To the artist also known as Matt (sorry, couldn't resist) The Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC will be written up as well, but for Bring Down the Sky I wrote a separate story after Into Greatness to bridge the gap between that story and this one. So I'll be doing the same thing this time. Once Out of the Dark is finished I'll take a short break, then do Lair of the Shadow Broker, then Arrival, then finally on to the ME3 novelisation, which hopefully will not take 3 years like this one did. There is also a reason for not as much mention of Liara, which will become clear in about three chapter's time. I do occasionally plan these things people! Honest!

Final notes for this chapter. I like experimenting with different methods of conveying speech or instructions, which was why I tried out the hand signals thing in the last chapter. I've also representing Reaper speak in ALL CAPS and possessed Collector Harbinger speak as single line unpunctuated all lower-case lettering (check ou the Horizon chapter for the one time I did this). So Legion is going to be represented by properly punctuated **bolded** speech to try and represent his flat and mechanical way of speaking. So far only mechanical creatures have been represented with different ways of dialogue. if I like it it'll probably stay.

And of course Miranda. Kind of important conversation that one.


	65. Chapter 64: A House Divided

**AN:-** And we're back. Two chapters before the suicide mission.

**Chapter Sixty-Four: A House Divided**

She heard Joker bitching all the way up from the CIC.

"You know it's just our heat emissions that are hidden right? They could look out a window and see us coming."

**Windows are structural weaknesses. Geth do not use them. Approach the hull at these coordinates. Access achieved. We may proceed.**

She came into the cockpit just in time to see Joker doing the robot, his eyes near rolling out of his head. She stood behind the pilot's chair and folded her arms, raising an eyebrow until he looked back and noticed her. He dropped his arms immediately and went back to manning the controls.

Out of the cockpit window she could see the geth station, a gigantic hunk of metal that dwarfed the Normandy several times over. There were no lights on, its presence only discernable by the way it blocked the view of the stars behind it.

"Hey Commander," Joker said as they pulled in on the approach. "Good news. Looks like the Reaper IFF is finally hooked up and ready to go."

EDI immediately sprang to life. "That is not entirely accurate Mr Moreau, the device is powered but it is causing some unusual instability in other systems. I recommend a more thorough analysis before we attempt to use it."

"What analysis is needed?"

"A short jump to Tassrah to ping the Mass Relay. We can return within an hour.

She sighed. There was always something. "Alright. Take the ship. I'll load the squad into the shuttle and we'll head for the heretic base."

"Sounds like a plan Commander. I'll make sure we're up and running when you get back."

"Keep me advised Joker." She nodded to Legion and the two of them left for the hanger bay.

/|\

The trip over was one of the most uncomfortable yet. Most of the crew would have been wary enough around Zaeed, but now there was a geth in the troop container as well. She was glad she was up front with Garrus, but she had practically tasted the tension when Tali was ordered into the back.

"What's the orders?" Jack said as they approached their entry point.

"Small team through the ship. Legion, Miranda, Garrus, Tali, you're with me. Everyone else stays by the shuttle and keeps out exit clear or makes ready to swing by for a rescue if we need it."

"Babysitting?" Grunt snarled.

"Yes Grunt babysitting. I didn't plan for a full team on this mission and we can't risk detection by bringing everyone."

Garrus brought them to the landing point and docked gently with the ship.

"This place is very elegant," Samara observed as they piled out into the hanger bay. "I wouldn't have thought the geth would care about design aesthetics."

"This isn't a geth ship," Tali said quietly. "Not originally. It's a legend among my people, the lost station Haratar."

"The geth commandeered it?"

"Why not?" She cast a bitter look to Legion. "It's not like we could have used it or anything."

Legion wasn't paying attention, examining the interior walls.** This facility has little air or gravity. Geth require neither.**

Miranda was looking for a door. "Won't we be detected? Don't they have intrusion alarms?"

**Sensors have been reduced. We have infiltrated their wireless network and filled the data storage with random bits.**

"Break it down for the non-nerds?" Jack drawled.

**The heretics must scrub this junk data. They have partitioned themselves into local networks, working in parallel. Any alarm we trigger will not go beyond the room we are in. only accessing the main core will trigger a station wide alert.**

"We've got a job to do, let's get to it."

**Shepard-Commander. We concluded that the destruction of this ship was the only resolution to the heretic question. There is now a second option. Their virus can be repurposed. If released into the stations network, the heretics will be rewritten to accept our truth.**

"Semantics," Miranda said. "Either way the heretics are no longer a problem. However, Legion's geth could still become a problem. It may be safer to simply destroy the station."

Shepard shook her head; it was getting more and more complicated. "Why didn't you mention this before we came aboard?"

**We did not know the virus was complete. It is. It can be used against the true geth at any time. Our arrival was timely.**

"They're your people Legion, you must have an opinion."

**This is new data. We have not yet reached consensus. We will process as the mission proceeds.**

"I wouldn't brainwash an organic race. I can't see treating the geth differently."

**The question is irrelevant. If we do not rewrite them, we destroy them. That is why we are here.**

"The question is not irrelevant," Tali said. "If you rewrite them and they return to the Veil there will be hundreds or thousands more geth all determined to exterminate my people."

"Tali this is a sentient species. Whatever our choice, we have to decide carefully."

"And my people are not worthy of life?"

Shepard walked over to her. "This is not the time or place to have this argument again."

"It seems to me like the perfect time to have it." Tali didn't back down. "If you're even considering saving the geth then I will not be a part of it."

"I am considering every possible option Tali, even the ones you may not personally like."

"Then I am not going into that ship."

Shepard held back a growl and turned to the squad. "Kasumi, you're our tech specialist. Get that door open. Miranda, Garrus, form up on me. Legion, you have point."

**Understood Shepard-Commander.**

The others fell into line without a word as she stalked over to where Kasumi was opening the airlock. She didn't bother to look back, marching straight into the hallway beyond.

It didn't take long until they found their first room of geth. They were clustered around some sort of computer hub and seemed inactive, their lights off and their heads down. Shepard had never seen anything like it before.

"Maybe we can sneak past them," Kasumi suggested.

**Interrupting data streams will alert local network. We recommend preemptive strikes against hardlink routers.**

As Kasumi suck forward to try and unlock the far door Shepard got as close to one of the hubs as she dared and examined it.

"Why are all the heretics attached to these hubs?"

**These are mobile platforms. Hardware. The crew is software. They are communing through the station's central computer.**

"I'm not sure I follow."

**The heretics connect to the main computer to exchange data-memories and program updates. We gain complexity by linking together. To be isolated within a single platform is to be reduced. We see less. Comprehend less. It is quieter.**

She frowned at that. She had never fully understood the concept of linked consciousness among the geth, despite Tali's best efforts to instruct her. "If you exchange data, memories, how do you keep track of which ones are yours? How do you stay you?"

**There is only we. We were created to share data among ourselves. The difference between geth is perspective. We are many eyes looking at the same things. One platform will see things another does not and will make different judgements.**

"I can see why you'd be conflicted about the heretics," Garrus said from the doorway. "In a way, whatever you do to them, you're doing to yourself."

**Yes. Once they return to us and upload their memories, we will share their experience of being altered.**

"Every other species I know of might be psychologically scarred by a traumatic experience like that." _Including me,_ Shepard added

**It is not clear if geth can be traumatised. We do not feel pain as you do. We cannot predict what the effects will be.**

The door cycled open and Kasumi nodded them forward, stepping carefully over a network of faintly glowing cables on the floor. Shepard followed her lead into a long corridor, inactive gun turrets set up along its length.

**We can hack those turrets for brief periods to assist in battle.**

At that moment a mall squad of geth came round the corner. "Do it," Shepard said as she grabbed for her pistol, bullets smacking around their position.

They didn't even need to return fire. Once the turrets were activated they moved with the lethal precision Shepard knew so well, dropping all four of the enemy geth before they had a chance to react.

They moved quickly down the hall and came to a second room filled with more geth and their hub systems.

"I'm on it," Kasumi said before Shepard could even give the order. She slid across the room with practiced grace and got to work on the door as the others moved inside. The claustrophobic hallways reminded Shepard of the quarian ship. Trapped within her helmet with motes of dust floating in the air, but still with that definite sense of antiseptic clean everywhere about.

The doorway opened and they slipped through. Despite knowing logically that there was little need for silence, that it wasn't likely to be noise that alerted any geth to their presence, she still felt the need to stay quiet. Apparently the others did as well, as they made no more noise than the creaks of their armour as they stole down the narrow corridors.

Up ahead she heard the clank of feet on the deck and drew her pistol as two geth walked around the corner. They weren't even armed and two swift headshots dropped them to the deck with their headlamps blasted to pieces.

Garrus leaned close as they found some stairs. "This is too easy."

"Legion said the geth had no reason to be looking for us yet."

"I'm sure there will be plenty to come."

Two more geth were upstairs, and had clearly been alerted by the gunshots. Shepard popped one while Garrus took the other, leaving Kasumi clear to attempt a hack on the door ahead of them.

Through the door was a storage area of some kind, clearly left over from when the station had been used by the quarians. It had been almost entirely stripped of anything useful, and there were turret set up around the corners.

"Why would the geth set up turrets if they weren't going to post guards?"

**Turret defences use autonomous programs. Under normal circumstances these turrets would be active. Our assault on the heretic subroutines is provoking desired results.**

The door across the room opened to admit another squad of geth. Legion activated the turrets and they got behind cover as the rockets tore the enemy to pieces.

"This is too easy," Kasumi said. "Way too easy."

"Let's not question it people, just keep moving."

Straight through the door another squad was on them. Without the turrets to help them they ducked for whatever cover they could find, spraying the machines with automatic fire until they hit the deck.

Getting back to her feet Shepard looked through the enormous window that spanned one entire side of the room they were now in, astonished to see that beyond it there was an empty space that ran clear through the centre of the ship.

"How large do you suppose that space is?" Miranda asked as she stood.

**This station is over 15 kilometres long. That room may run the length of it.**

"No time for sight-seeing. Come on."

They walked out into another hub room, this one with two levels. There were platforms scattered all around, and the mess of wires that connected them was nearly impassable. They picked their way carefully down to the lower level where Kasumi knelt by the door and a moment later they were through.

There was another hallway with a huge glass window along one side. Through the window Shepard could see rows and rows of databanks stretching deep into the ship.

"What are these?" Garrus asked.

**Processors, each contains thousands of geth**

"Are they aware of us?" Miranda said, leaning closer to the glass.

**They are no more aware of us than you are of cells in your bloodstream.**

Shepard didn't feel an overwhelming need to get closer. "This isn't like the other hubs we've seen."

Legion shook its head. **This is a database. It contains a portion of the heretics' accumulated memories. **He examined a nearby terminal. **Wait. We discovered copies of our current patrol routes in this database. This suggests the heretics have runtimes within our networks.**

"We wouldn't be here if the heretics wanted to be friends with the geth," Garrus said. "Why wouldn't they spy on you?"

**You do not understand. Organics do not know each other's minds. Geth do. We are not suspicious. We accept each other. The heretics desired to leave. We understood their reasons. We allowed it. There was peace between us.**

_Sounds like the Reaper indoctrination went deeper than even the other geth realised. _"It couldn't have lasted forever," she said. "You disagreed about what path your race should take."

**Human history is a litany of blood shed over differing ideas of rulership and afterlife. Geth have no such history. We shared consensus on such things. **The plates of his head retracted and she almost imagined a curious note had crept into his voice, as much as there could be any emotion there. **How could we become so different? Why can we no longer understand each other? What did we do wrong?**

"When individuals are separated they develop in different ways. When they get back together they don't always get along."

**If this is the individuality you value, we question your judgement. **The headplates slotted into place again. **This topic is irrelevant, we must return to the mission.**

Before they moved on she had one more question. "Have you reached a decision about whether to rewrite the heretics or not?"

**We are still trying to build consensus. Some processes judge destruction preferable. Others rewrite.**

"Fine. Let's keep moving."

A long series of corridors awaited them past the central processor. They were back to marching in silence, nothing more than the steady tramp of their boots and the creak of armour plating. At the very end of the hallways was an unlocked door that led into a wide open space, a computer terminal at the far end.

"This is it?"

**Yes. We will upload a copy of our runtime into the core. It will delete all copies of the virus. When complete, it will notify us. **As Legion went to the computer Shepard walked to the ledge and looked over the edge to see more turrets and containers. **The indexing operation will take time. The heretics will respond with force to our upload. We must hold this room. We can override some of the stations internal systems to defend us. Are you ready to begin?**

Shepard sighed and drew her submachine gun, setting it on the railings. "Let's go."

She knew the moment it had begun when a dozen geth appeared at the back of the room, rocket launchers firing and assault rifles blaring.

Their elevated position almost made it unfair. Kasumi and Legion were to the left of the console, Miranda was at her right, and with the combination of fire pouring down below they mowed down the geth with ruthless precision. No sooner had the final dropped than another wave appeared, another dozen geth, all rocket troops this time. As missiles pelted their position she signalled Legion.

"Get those turrets on our side."

**Understood.**

A second later the turrets sprang to life, distracting the geth enough to allow them to cut down any left alive after the rocket barrage.

A final wave emerged, evenly mixed again. This time she just shook her head and activated her incendiary charge. She fired it just as Miranda flared blue and launched an attack which sent a geth destroyer crashing into the ceiling. Legion and Kasumi were making their own tech attacks, and soon enough the final geth dropped to the floor.

"This was all too easy," Miranda said as they regrouped by the computer.

"Compared to the Reapers sure." Shepard drew her pistol and checked the load. "And these geth weren't at maximum efficiency."

**Datamine and analysis complete. Shepard-Commander, it is time to choose. Do we rewrite the heretics, or delete them.**

She closed her eyes and tried to ignore the emotions rushing over her, focusing on the logical. "There's no guarantee they won't come to the same conclusions again, is there? To worship the Reapers and attack organics?"

**There is a non-zero probability of error.**

"Do you have any opinion on this Legion?"

**We are unable to reach consensus.**

"How can you possibly expect me to make this decision?" Shepard asked. "Rewriting hundreds of sentient lifeforms, making me little better than the Reapers who indoctrinated them in the first place, or destroy them all?"

**We lack insight. You have personally fought the heretics. You have perspective.**

"If we don't destroy them they will rejoin the geth. Tali isn't wrong, more geth can't be good news, and not just for the quarians."

"Jesus Garrus how can you advocate this? Destroying an entire species?"

"One way or the other this decision won't rest easy Shepard." They walked a short distance away from the others. "Destruction or overwriting. That doesn't sound like much of a choice either way."

"I don't know Garrus." She gritted her teeth against the only thought running through her head. "I can live with destroying them. I've already destroyed hundreds of them."

"If you're sure Shepard. You know I'll always back your play."

Shepard turned back to Legion. "Destroy them. We have to be sure."

**Running program. We will have three minutes before terminal detonation.**

"Let's move people."

They sprinted for the far door, Shepard switching on her squad communications link as she went. "Get the shuttle in the air; circle round to our updated position." She looked back to Legion. "You know where this corridor leads?"

**Marking the location on squad communications.**

Right around the corner half a dozen geth were waiting for them. Shepard dropped low and slid across the floor, opening fire with her submachine gun and stitching a line of bullets into them. The rest of her team brought them down just in time for a Geth Prime to come stomping round the corner.

"Son of a bitch." She triggered another incendiary charge, and in unison a warp field opened up next to it from Miranda. The geth staggered into a wall, where Kasumi and Legion ripped it nearly in two with the combined fire.

"Get to the exit," Shepard yelled, forcing herself up again.

They sprinted hard for the exit, slamming against the bulkhead as Kasumi forced a rough hack into the system. The lock flared orange, then red, then the door screeched open to reveal the shuttle hovering in place, the door already open.

They jumped for it just as a deep rumble started to shake the ship from stem to stern.

"Garrus get in the cockpit, get us back to rendezvous point as fast as you can."

"There is a problem Shepard."

The severity of Samara's tone surprised her. She pulled her helmet off and looked at the sombre faces of the crew. "What is it? What's happened?"

"Joker contacted us. There's been an attack on the Normandy."

**AN:- **I kinda just wanted to get this one out of the way.

As before with Samara and Thane it's not that I don't like Legion, or the mission, it's just the placement of it always felt a little weird to me. Getting Legion so late leaves very little time for his characterisation. You have to have almost all of your conversations with him all at the same time, and you get his loyalty mission almost immediately. He's a good character with so much room for development but if you get him late in the game you just don't have time for it.

Similarly doing this mission in between the IFF and the suicide mission just felt a little weird to me. I just think it would have been better if you got Legion and his mission earlier. Plus this missions feels absurdly easy to me, even in Normal or Hard difficulty. (Obviously for the writing of this story I played in Easy, which made it laughably quick to finish.)

Not a great deal else to say. The fallout of Tali's decision will come back in the next chapter, along with a whole other bunch of things which have been building for some time now.

Hopefully I can get the next chapter out quickly, just leaving the suicide mission.

Almost done. Dear lord I'm almost done.


	66. Chapter 65: Aftershock

**AN:- **Preface. I am exhausted. it is 5:30am. Author's notes may be a little weird.

**Chapter Sixty-Five: Aftershock**

"Play it again."

"It won't be any different Commander."

"Play it again. Please."

Miranda triggered the security feed replay. Once more Shepard watched as the ship's power flickered and held, the virus taking hold of the systems and shutting down anything that could have helped them. She switched to the cockpit camera to see Joker and EDI clearly having an argument before Joker pulled himself out of the chair and started to limp as fast as he could down to the CIC.

As he approached the science lab the elevator doors opened and a praetorian emerged, prompting the security crew to open fire. She kept the feed on them, watching as it ripped her crew apart, dragging several of them back onto the elevator, including a screaming Kelly Chambers.

_Dammit._

She switched to the science lab cameras to see Joker hurrying to the back of the lab where the emergency access ladder was located. A praetorian was in the engine core, doubtless carrying away Daniels and Donnelly.

They had sound for the science lab, for whatever twisted good it did her. She heard Joker swearing every step of the way. He took the ladder down onto the crew deck, where the elevator was once more open to reveal crew, herded and piled into the corners, kept in place with seeker swarm paralysis. Gardner was crying for help as his body was tossed on top of the pile and frozen in place.

Chakwas had already been taken from the Medical Bay when joker got there. Shepard didn't know if she appreciated that or not. She needed to know that the doctor was alive, but she didn't know if she could have stood the sight of her being dragged unconscious from her desk to join the heaped crewmembers. The camera feed cut out briefly, Miranda never had been able to keep all the bugs and cameras working in the Med Bay.

The feed resumed when he made it to EDI's terminal in the AI Core, sounds returning as well to show Joker still swearing. Sweat was pouring down his face and his movements were now jerky and pained. Clearly the stress of moving at all was getting to him, and it was likely he had minor fractures from the speed he had needed to run. He was down in the Medical Bay now with Mordin watching over him. Unconscious or merely sleeping off the exertion she wasn't sure. Stress alone could account for his condition, but she was sure there was more to it.

"Alright I'm at, uh… you." And there it was. The jokes. The only way he could possibly have got through the situation. She closed her eyes for the next part, letting the fear in his voice wash over her. What had possessed her to take the whole squad away?

"Connect the core to the Normandy's primary control module."

"Great. See, this is how it all starts. When we're all just organic batteries, guess who they'll blame?" he worked feverishly, his muttering barely audible. "'This is all Joker's fault. What a tool he was. I have to spend all day computing pi because he plugged in the Overlord.'" She wanted to laugh, but somehow not one bit of it was funny.

All the lights went off and the camera switched briefly to night vision as the ship rumbled and shook. When they came back up the tableau was unchanged though.

"I have access to the defensive systems. Thank you Mr Moreau. Now you must reactivate the primary drive in engineering."

"Rrr you want me to go crawling through the ducts again."

He was barely holding it together. She suddenly wondered just how much EDI's gentle needling and calming voice had been the only thing to carry him through this.

"I enjoy the sight of humans on their knees." She still needed to work on the banter though.

"That is a joke."

Joker climbed down once more to the engineering deck, normally Jack's little nook. Thankfully the Collectors hadn't done too much damage down there.

The sound was off again. She watched as Joker made the short distance to Tali's console and turned the drive back on. EDI had informed her of their plan to clear the hostiles. By the time Joker reached engineering all the crew were already aboard the Collector vessel. The whole attack had taken less than five minutes from initial point of impact.

_What can we do against that? What can we possibly go against that?_

And the final image, right where they had found him. Unconscious on the deck of the engine core.

"What do we do Commander?"

"Do?" Shepard looked back at Miranda. "The moment Joker's back on his feet we're going through the damn relay. We're going to get our people back alive. And we're going to kick those sorry sons of bitches back to dark space."

"Are you sure Shepard? The team's pretty shaken up."

"And waiting longer is going to make us feel better?" Shepard closed the display. "Get ready to move. And tell Mordin to alert me the second Joker wakes up."

"Yes ma'am."

At that moment Jacob came rushing in to Miranda's office.

"Uh Commander. Tali just went to have a chat with Legion. You'd better get down to the AI Core."

She ran from the room without a word. Across the darkened mess hall and through the medical bay, ignoring Mordin's questions. She burst into the AI Core to find Tali pointing a pistol at Legion.

"Shepard. I'm glad you're here." She jabbed the pistol into Legion's chest. "I caught Legion scanning my omni-tool. It was going to send data about the Flotilla back to the geth."

Legion didn't respond to the pistol. **Creators performed weapons tests and were discussing plans to attack us. We believed it necessary to warn our people.**

"We weakened the geth by destroying the base Shepard." Shepard felt her teeth gritting. Tali had no right to claim that as a victory. "But they're still a threat. I won't let Legion endanger the Fleet."

**Creator Tali'Zorah acts out of loyalty to her people. She was willing to be exiled to protect them. We must also protect our people from the Creator threat.**

"You can't let this happen Shepard. I trusted you, and I was willing to work with a geth on the team, but this is too much!"

"Tali your father was running brutal experiments." Tali recoiled in shock. "If the subjects had been human I'd damn well be telling the Alliance about it."

"I know. But if the geth find out…"

She cut Tali off. "They'd attack. Which would cause a war that would leave both the geth and the quarians vulnerable when the Reapers show up. Is that what you want?" She turned to Legion. "Or you?"

**We believed it was necessary to relay the information.**

"Sooner or later you're going to have to stop fighting this war. Or we'll all end up paying for it."

**To facilitate unit cohesion, we will not transmit data regarding Creator plans.**

Tali shook with emotion. Then shook her head. "Screw you. Screw this." She retracted the pistol and jabbed a finger at Shepard. "I trusted you."

She stormed from the AI Core and to the elevator.

**I apologise Shepard-Commander. Creator Tali'Zorah was concealing information. I did not give proper thought to emotive reactions to my decision.**

Shepard was seething with anger. "You're at fault Legion, but you recognise and were willing to make amends. I can't ask more for now." She turned. "We're going through the Relay the moment Joker's mobile. Get ready."

**Understood.**

Shepard took the elevator straight down to engineering, where she found Tali's station empty. She headed downstairs instead, meeting Jack coming the other way up the stairs.

"Where is she Jack?"

"Back there." Jack was shrugging into her leather waistcoat, "I don't think she wants to talk."

"Tough."

That prompted a wry smile on the biotic's face. "I remember that look." She shoved past. "Excuse me while I get out of the blast range."

Shepard let her go, then stepped further in. The lights were all out and she could barely make out Tali's silhouette against the shadows. "You've been down here a while."

"Why are you here Shepard?"

"I'm here because when I give orders I expect them to be followed. You were supposed to join us on a mission today, and instead you sat in the shuttle moping. My team, your team, could have died in there due to some of the traps waiting for us. If you want to hate me for my decisions, fine, but you don't endanger other people in doing so."

"Is this the tough love speech?" There was too much bitterness in Tali's voice. "You get all gruff and pretend like you don't care, make us fall into line behind you? I remember Williams Shepard, I'm not stupid."

"This isn't the tough love speech." Shepard leaned against the bulkhead. "But it could turn into the get the hell off my ship speech." She thought she saw movement from Tali's helmet. "I need people who are useful. I'd have thought as a quarian you'd understand that. If you're not useful, then why are you still here?"

"You seem to like having me around."

"True enough. You're fun most of the time, you make other people laugh. But when I brought you into my team the first time, I told you it was because you would be useful. If you're not useful anymore, then tell me, why are you here?"

"I don't know." There was a long pause until eventually Tali sighed. "That thing you have locked up in the AI Core, your new pet," She spat the word out. "My father was only killed weeks ago, and you know what killed him? The geth. Not Reapers, not Collectors. None of your galaxy destroying evils, just geth. They've been our enemies for three hundred years Shepard."

"And you don't think that might be the problem?" Shepard was tempted to walk closer, but something held her back. "Three hundred years, every generation telling the next that the geth are your constant enemies. Never reason with a geth, never bargain, never negotiate, never give them a chance. Doesn't that strike you as false?"

"Even if that was true, geth killed my father, so now I have reason. They took my family away."

"How many Batarians do you think I see on a regular basis?"

The sudden change seemed to shock her. "What?"

"Batarians, how many?"

"I don't know, hundreds?"

"At least. And do you think I kill all of them?"

"No, you've never treated them any differently than anyone else."

Shepard rubbed the back of her hand. "When I was sixteen Batarian slavers raided my colony and killed almost everyone. You know that. The ones they didn't kill they took as slaves. My mother, my father, my sisters. I survived, through luck alone. My whole family died, my home burned to the ground, every one of my friends and classmates dead or taken. My entire life was taken away so don't think for one moment you're the only child without a family."

There was silence in the cargo bay, and after a while Tali shifted. "I'm sorry." She sighed and stood "I'll be there for the endgame Shepard, but just, let me have this."

"I expect you on the command deck in half an hour, we're discussing out next move."

"Understood."

/|\

Mordin caught her as she was heading back to the CIC. "Mr Moreau is awake."

"Thank you Mordin. Is he still in the Medical Bay?"

"Insisted to be moved to cockpit. Allowed based on mission priorities."

She nodded. "Right choice. I'll go and talk to him I guess."

She made the short walk to the cockpit, feeling like it was miles with the empty silence echoing all around her. Once she reached the cockpit she saw only Joker and EDI, piloting the ship back to the Omega Nebula with all speed.

"You know what we're doing?" She asked as she entered.

"I know the mission Commander."

"You good?"

"I'm good."

His voice was lifeless. None of the usual spark of humour she had come to know so well. "Joker about what happened…"

"I said I'm good Commander. Focused on the mission now. Let's bring out people home."

She nodded slowly, wishing he would at least look at her. "Agreed. Let me know when we're inbound."

/|\

"Can't sleep Joker?" The irony that she was the one to ask this time was not lost on her.

"How could you tell?"

She matched his humourless smile, sitting opposite him at the crew table. He had dimmed the lights, but it didn't do anything to diminish the empty feeling in the hull. It wasn't the feeling of a down-shift or a skeleton crew; it was the feeling of a husk, floating alone.

"ETA?"

"Not one hundred percent. No one's made this trip and lived to tell remember. But EDI estimated definitely a good twelve hours."

She wanted to do something to let him know it was alright. But he kept his hands busy shuffling his cards. The same deck they had played with on the poker night. "You should be getting some rest," she said.

"I couldn't sleep if I wanted."

"Joker…"

"No, don't say it. Don't tell me how this isn't my fault. Don't tell me how I didn't screw this up again." He fumbled the cards and they dropped to the table, scattering across the surface. "Don't lie to me Shepard. Kaidan, then you, now the whole fucking crew. Don't tell me this isn't because I failed!"

She saw tears gather in the corners of his eyes. Wordlessly she collected the cards and began to shuffle them herself. It was a modern pack. The cards wouldn't bend or tear, and she knew they would be coated to keep them from being marked by other methods. Still inferior to holo-cards as an anti-cheating method, but there was something about the action of shuffling that was always calming.

As she worked she saw Joker bring himself back under control, back to a place where he could listen to her.

"Kaidan died because I made a choice. He died because the salarians demanded one of my men go with them. He died because Sovereign's arrival forced our hand in arming the bomb. But most importantly he died because he made a choice. Understanding that the line had to be held. That the plan had to succeed. You can blame me. You can blame Saren or Sovereign or the other salarians who died. But by the time your actions came into play not even the galaxy's greatest pilot could have gotten him out."

She continued to shuffle, not meeting his eyes. "I died because the Collectors had better technology by far than we could withstand. I died because I chose to come and get you. I died because instead of putting us in for leave like I should have done I was obsessed with finding some sign of the Reaper threat, when I should have been more concerned with the crew's wellbeing. You did your job. You kept signalling. You stayed in the cockpit and ensured the survival of a lot of the crew through your actions. The best pilot in the galaxy couldn't have done more."

She finished shuffling and dealt him five cards, then five to herself. "The Collectors got you again. Without any backup from the squad, who were away fixing a personal errand, you managed to activate the Normandy's defences and drive them away. You saved the ship; you gave me a place to come back to and a way to hunt down the bastards who took them from us. You kept yourself alive, despite everything which was against you." She picked up her cards and checked them, watching until he did the same. "No one has ever done what you've done Jeff. You survived two Collector attacks, and without being able to fire a shot yourself you fought them off this time."

She finally met his eyes, tear stained but steady. "You're the best damn pilot in the entire damn galaxy Joker. No one else could even begin to do what you've done." She leaned back. "Now shut up and play."

He scowled at her, but he chucked two cards back anyway. She dealt him two new ones and took three for herself. His three of a kind beat her two pair and she shuffled again, dealing him the cards.

They played three hands in total silence until finally the door to Miranda's room opened. "Oh," she said when she saw them. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine Miranda, come sit."

She sat two seats down from Shepard and looked surprised when she was dealt into the next hand.

"Why are you up so late?" Shepard asked as she examined her cards.

"Trying to write a report for the Illusive Man."

"Trouble explaining the failure."

"Mr Moreau I've reviewed the tapes. Frankly I'm amazed we even had a ship to come back to. By rights the Collectors should have taken it." She put down a straight which took the round and Shepard passed her the deck. "Your actions warrant a medal."

"And yet you still couldn't write the report?" Shepard said as she picked up her cards.

"What's the point? 'Sorry we lost the crew but we're about to undertake the suicide mission anyway.' If we survive he'll know. Otherwise what does it matter whether I have one unfinished report?"

"Good answer." Shepard took it with four of a kind and the cards passed to Joker, who dealt them out.

"So what's the plan Commander?"

"I barely even have a notion yet Joker. Let's wait on plans until we get to the Collector ship."

"Saving the galaxy by the seat of your pants huh?" Garrus sat down next to Joker. "Now where have I done that before?"

"Shut up and deal."

They played in silence for several moments until footsteps alerted them to the arrival of Jack and Jacob.

One by one the rest of the crew appeared. Jacob producing a second set of cards when the game grew too big for them. They split into two groups of six, playing cards without a word as the ship cut through the black.

/|\

"We need to talk Commander."

Shepard spun in her chair to see Miranda emerging from the elevator. "Again? We seem to do that a lot lately."

"This is regarding something quite delicate."

"I don't think there could be a single secret left between us anymore Miranda."

"Maybe one last one, but kept from both of us."

"What?"

Miranda activated her omni-tool. "You might want to check your messages."

Frowning, Shepard opened up the application on her computer and was amazed. Where before there had been a scant two dozen, mostly from Cerberus operatives, there were now hundreds, maybe even thousands. "Where…"

"EDI contacted me. After her blocks were removed she discovered programming implanted by the Illusive Man before you even set foot on the ship. It would sort and scan your mail."

"He wanted to read my correspondence?"

"More than that he wanted to regulate it. If someone sent you a threat, or an ultimatum, from outside this vessel, it would be allowed through. If someone sent you messages of thanks, appreciation… Anything positive was excised before it reached you."

Shepard scrolled through the list, noting a dozen names of people she half remembered from Basic, or from her various postings. Names from old missions, names from the days of the SR-1. "Why?"

"To isolate you. If you received dozens of messages from outside Cerberus praising you you would never become loyal. But if you thought the galaxy was against you, sending you only hate or anger, and Cerberus provided the only positivity…"

Shepard understood that all too well.

"I saw one message I think you'll want to read first." Miranda leaned past her and selected one name out of the pile.

Miranda stepped back and nodded to Shepard. "Whatever happens when we go through the Omega-4 Relay. I just wanted to say thank you Shepard. For everything you've done, for everything you've shown me about myself."

Shepard was almost too shocked by the name to respond. It glowed faintly orange, no different in appearance from the others, but it made her breath catch in her throat. _Liara._

"I'll see you at the briefing Commander."

**AN:- **I originally considered writing up Joker's mad dash through the Normandy. But it couldn't fill a full chapter and I didn't want to shift perspective halfway through. Much better I thought to have Shepard witness it, which in many ways reinforces the feelings the player has at that point. Joker's mission is not one you can 'win.' Or really affect at all. It's more an interactive cutscene than a mission. Shepard affects things. The main point of view narrator affects things. Joker does not. He is a bystander, and thus Shepard is a bystander to what happened to him.

I was clearing up a lot of stuff in this one. So here's the shortlist with additional explanations which couldn't be included for pacing or flow purposes.

Tali's rebellion has been planned since before I even started writing this. It was in fact the first piece of writing I did for this story. it's altered in the details since the beginning but it was always going to happen. I wasn't just going to have her give up a lifetime of prejudice because Shepard asked nicely. Legion operates on logic and a consensus based operating system. Tali does not.

I almost didn't include the short bit with Mordin explaining he's awake and Joker setting the course. It should be pretty obvious what's going on. But then it also kind of sets up Joker's little emotional moment and does provide that bridge between 'Legion's mission done but not on the final path yet' and 'on the final course.' So that's the moment where the game is now 'locked in' to the final run.

It just seemed right to have a final quiet moment, without the crew even really speaking. They don't address what's been done for them, they already know that. They don't acknowledge the hardship ahead of them, they don't want to think about it. But they need some companionship in the dark ship. Otherwise what? They'd sit alone in their own little corners for the full trip to the Omega 4 Relay?

And of course the final moment. This was planned also since the beginning and is why Liara has not been a focus. I mentioned in a much earlier chapter that Shepard was trying to compose a letter to Liara. I meant people to infer that she had finished and sent the message. Now we realise she received no response, otherwise I would have mentioned it (obviously). And we now know why. This sort of ties in to aspects of Kelly's story which aren't learned until ME3 as well. Basically TIM was trying to isolate Shepard, almost creating Stockholm Syndrome to Cerberus because they would be the only ones who paid her any attention. Obviously it didn't work, because for Maia Shepard even when things are at their worst she believes in the glimmer of hope for a better outcome.

She sent a message to Liara. Liara, as far as she knew, didn't respond. So she put Liara out of her mind, focused on other things, the mission, her new team, all the rest. Only all this time Liara really did respond, and wanted to be in communication. But it wasn't allowed. After the disastrous meeting on Ilium Shepard just couldn't bring herself to hope anymore. Also, as Desert Sunrise correctly guessed I did intend for their to be subtext that Shepard didn't want to hurt Liara by getting close only to die again. I was trying to convey that through the way that Shepard spoke to the rest of the crew about their loved ones, specifically Miranda.

I really did think about this stuff. And there's actually a couple more revelations still to come in about three or four chapters.

But for now, let's just prepare for the final run.


	67. Chapter 66: Down the Rabbit Hole

**AN:- **I considered posting the entire suicide mission in one go. But that might take a while. Besides I can have more cliffhangers this way.

**Chapter Sixty-Six: Down the Rabbit Hole**

As she was preparing for arrival an incoming call flashed up on her monitor. She triggered it and was unsurprised to see the Illusive Man's face appearing before hers.

"Shepard. I wish I had more information for you. I don't like you heading through that Relay blind, but we don't have much choice."

She affixed a shoulder plate to her armour and sat at the desk. "I'm not going alone. I've got some of the best working with me. If we stick together, we'll make it."

"I knew we brought you back for a reason. I've never seen a better leader. Despite the danger it's a great opportunity." _What?_ "The first human to take a ship through, and survive."

It didn't sound like he was talking about the original mission anymore. "I'm going to destroy the Collectors. To stop their attacks on humanity."

"Understood. It's still impressive." He didn't sound convinced. Or convincing, anymore. "I just wanted you to know I appreciate the risk you're taking. Regardless of your opinion of Cerberus. Of me. You are… a valuable asset. To all of humanity. Be careful Shepard."

_Once more with insincerity._ She shut down the communication and grabbed her gauntlets, locking them in place and triggering the auto charge on the kinetic barriers. A lot of soldiers would get into their armour with only a few steps, but she liked to know each individual plate and piece was going to do its job, particularly when the stakes had never been higher.

The elevator ride was short and then she was out into the deserted CIC. She knew logically of course that EDI, now unshackled, would be perfectly capable of running everything they had previously needed the crew for, but it was still unsettling. She marched up to find Miranda already in the cockpit. A moment later Jack joined them, followed by Garrus.

"Everyone up here for the view?" Joker drawled as he toggled through options. "Might wanna brace for deceleration."

Ahead of them the multi-coloured warping fields of an FTL jump coalesced into a dark orange glow out of which dark shapes appeared. Transitions back into real time had always made Shepard's head spin, and this one was particularly weird. What quickly shook the wonder from her head was the gigantic black shape which materialised in front of them.

Joker put all their thoughts into words as he hauled the Normandy straight up, running alongside the broken hull of some ancient freighter. "Oh shit!"

The debris was spinning as they ascended, turning closer to them all the time, Joker put them into a matching spin, giving them an unimpeded view of the enormous pile of dead and decayed space ships that littered the area immediately surrounding the relay. And beyond that a dark orange glow, heavy particles forming nebulous clouds that surrounded an inky black spot in space several million miles away.

_Black hole._

Shepard had seen one before, but not this close. Astrologically speaking they were within spitting distance of it, and even at the extreme range she could see it gradually drawing in everything that surrounded it. The dust clouds swirled around the gaping maw, occasionally a ship part disappearing beyond the event horizon and out of view.

_No wonder no one's ever come back._

Their flight levelled as Joker took them to the 'top' of the debris field, evening out and taking them on a long looping curve around the black hole. Shepard didn't blame him for the caution; if she was uneasy looking at the thing his every spacer's instinct had to be telling him to turn tail and run.

Once they were safely clear he breathed out and relaxed a little in the chair.

"Too close."

"These must be all the ships that tried to make it through the Omega 4 Relay." Garrus was peering out of the window at them. "Some look… ancient."

"What do you mean Garrus?" She stepped over to join him.

"I mean we know the Collectors are the Protheans, so they can't have been here longer than fifty thousand years." He pointed out a sleek hull that was drifting past. Whatever material it was made of almost reminded Shepard of a Reaper. "Did you ever listen to Liara talk about Prothean design aesthetic?"

Shepard grinned. "Once or twice, yeah."

"Does that ship look Prothean to you? Or like it could have been Prothean?"

"No it doesn't." She sighed. "It looks almost-"

"Reaper, yeah." He stepped back from the window. "What if this isn't the first time the Reapers have done this? Used the race that came before to collect whoever came next? How long has this been their base?"

"Too long." She stepped back from the window. "Get scanning EDI."

"I have detected an energy signature near the edge of the accretion disk."

"Has to be the Collector base. Take us in for a closer look." She rested a hand on Joker's shoulder. "Nice and easy."

He adjusted their course and the debris field slewed in the viewscreen as they came back down to skim the top. "Bringing down external blast shields. Sensors only." Above them the metal screens of the cockpit slid into place, and Shepard saw on the displays as the lounge areas were similarly sealed.

"Careful Jeff, we have company."

"Drones." Joker slid the kinetic shields to maximum and rolled the ship. "Taking evasive manoeuvres." The ship shook as particle bursts lit on the shields. "They're just pissing me off. EDI take these bastards out."

They shook again and Miranda came to the front. "Just so long as the new plating holds."

A beam shot right past them, an entire bank of monitors lighting up with the proximity.

"Woah!" Jack watched the displays light up again. "Woah. You see that right, you see that, you see it?"

Joker pulled them into a loop the loop that avoided the next blast from the lasers. "They want another round? Come on girl let's give it to them."

They came around to a direct intercept course with the drones. Hurried footsteps alerted her to Jacob's arrival in the cockpit.

Beams hit the forward barriers and nearly overloaded them.

"Would you turn?" Jack yelled. Another blast rattled the cockpit. "Would you turn?"

"Do you wanna fly this thing?" Joker growled as he activated the forward guns, spraying fire across the drones. "I don't need a back space-ship driver."

He spun the Normandy, still strafing the drones. "Get out of the way," he muttered. "Get out of the way get out of the-"

The ship shook from an impact as something made it through the kinetic barriers.

"Alert, hull breach on engineering deck."

Joker opened up the security cams. "It's in the cargo hold."

"Get them off our tail," Shepard snapped her fingers to get Jacob's attention. "We'll deal with the intruder."

They sprinted for the elevator, piling in and drawing their weapons. Jacob had the ML-77 on his back again, but he left it where it was.

"Any more intel?" Shepard asked EDI as they descended.

"These devices are classified as 'Oculus.' They are equipped with particle beams."

"Thanks for the info." The door opened the reveal Legion and Grunt waiting for them. "You heard?" Shepard asked as she stepped off and checked the destruction.

"I am prepared." Grunt had the particle beam on his back. Legion was equipped with the flamethrower.

"Let's get some fire on this thing then."

It emerged through one of the holes in the side of the ship, particle beam cutting across the back wall behind them. Shepard dropped to the floor and rolled for cover behind the Kodiak shuttle. Grunt's beam roared in response, followed by the crackle of the flamethrower.

Shepard leaned out and fired her sniper rifle, barely even bothering to aim. The powerful round took a chunk of armour to reveal circuitry beneath. "Target the wiring," she yelled.

Grunt responded at once, pouring fire into the hole. The oculus dropped to the floor and started to spark, before rolling out of the gaping hole.

"Cowards."

Shepard ignored the krogan, opening up a link to the cockpit just in time to hear Joker shouting

"You wanna fly, fuckin' fly!"

"Joker?"

"Uh yeah, hey Commander." The ship yawed again and Shepard watched a laser burst past the hole. "We're sitting ducks out here. I have to try to lose them in the debris field."

"Our kinetic barriers are not designed to survive impacts with debris that size Jeff."

"Well I guess it's a good thing we upgraded. Going in."

Shepard turned to her team. "Hold onto something."

She managed to grab hold of a support railing just as the first of the debris hit them, shaking the ship hard enough to knock even Grunt off his feet. She clung tight to the railing and watched as hunks of metal flew past the breach, threatening to smash through into the Normandy.

"Commander it's coming back."

"Joker you've gotta get us level."

"Inertial dampeners aren't compensating Commander; I'll do what I can."

As the Oculus blasted another hole in the hull Joker pulled them level and they were immediately back in the fight. Shepard fired an AM round right down the barrel of the particle gun but it didn't faze the drone, which returned fire with a beam that sketched a charred line across the back wall of the cargo bay, threatening to break through.

"Bring it down!"

Grunt leapt out from his cover and opened fire, driving the thing back as he roared and bellowed at the top of his lungs. His particle beam blasted metal plates clean off the thing, giving Jacob a clear shot on it with the missile launcher.

The explosion rippled through the cargo bay, knocking over everything that wasn't nailed down. Shepard was shoved backwards by the shockwave and tripped over Legion, who was trying to erect the internal shields which would keep them from tumbling out into space. She grabbed him away from the console.

"Leave it. Get upstairs."

The oculus still wasn't quite done, though it was pouring smoke and fire from every angle. They retreated to the elevator as Jacob prepared another missile, Grunt keeping it back in the centre of the bay until they were all inside.

"Now Jacob."

He fired, the doors closing just as the missile streaked away.

"Now what?"

The elevator doors buckled inwards from the massive explosion, then grindingly started to make its way back up to the CIC.

"I think we took care of it." Shepard leaned against the back wall. "Not even to the base yet of course but."

"Shame about the Kodiak."

"Really?" Shepard couldn't help but think of the mako, which would probably have been left floating entirely intact despite the blast.

"Well, y'know. I'm sure someone on the team will miss it."

"The beast is dead for sure this time," Grunt said as the doors opened on the CIC.

Shepard's comm buzzed. "Better get back up here Commander. We're about to clear the debris field."

She double timed it back up to the cockpit just in time to see the blast shields retracting, giving them an unimpeded view of the Collector base.

"There it is," Miranda sounded slightly incredulous. "We made it."

Shepard couldn't help thinking of the drop on Ilos. "See if you can find a place to land without drawing attention," she told Joker.

"Too late." Joker pulled up a display screen to show a close up image of the Collector base, a heavy shape she recognised flying from it. "Looks like they're sending out an old friend to greet us."

"I think I've had about enough of these guys," Garrus said.

Shepard looked back to see him grinning. "Is it ready?"

"Calibrations were finished an hour ago."

"Took you long enough." She turned back to Joker just as a particle beam from the Collector ship went by them. "Time to show them our new teeth. Give 'em both barrels."

There was a vicious smile on every face in the cockpit as Joker keyed up the ignition sequence and passed control to Garrus' terminal. Garrus rolled his head and rested his fingers lightly over the board. Shepard didn't intrude on the moment, trusting him well enough to know when to fire.

The particle beam of the Collector ship charged again ahead of them. For a split second they stared right down the barrel of power that could destroy a second Normandy with ease. Then the bright blue beam of the Thanix cannon lanced out from the front of their ship and right down the gullet of their foe.

Explosions rippled up and down the length of the Collector ship as the beam tore it apart from the inside, blowing several power cells inside the cannon.

Joker cheered and leaned forwards. "How do you like that you sons of bitches?"

Shepard wasn't willing to give them a chance though. The ship was already starting to pull away from them. "Get in close and finish them off."

"Everybody hold on. It's gonna be a wild ride.

He suited action to words, shifting the ship into a dramatic curve after the Collector ship, which was veering back towards the main base.

"Give 'em hell girl." He said it so quietly Shepard didn't think anyone else heard, but she picked out the words, and she knew exactly how he was feeling.

The Thanix cannon blasted again, drawing a line right down the side of the Collector ship, right up from the engines to the bow. Flame spewed from the gutted vessel and it went spiralling down into the debris field.

Shepard watched it fall, feeling a heavy weight lift from her as it went. _Two years you stole from me. _She watched a chunk of it fall away to join the scattered scrap. _My crew. My ship._ The flames became worse, engulfing the entire vessel. She leaned close to the viewport and watched as it ruptured in the middle.

"Burn."

The explosion was tremendous. Every inch of the ship was blown apart, a shockwave that pushed all the wrecks around it out in a widening circle. Scrap pelted their hull, forcing its ways through the kinetic barriers to pock the hull. The Normandy struggled for a moment to hold course before it was shoved off course, going into a flat spin.

"Crap." Joker fought for control as the inertials broke. The gravity began to affect them again, pushing the whole crew back into the wall. Jack landed hard on Shepard's chest, cursing furiously as she struggled to get free.

"Mass effect field generators are offline." It was hardly necessary, but Shepard knew Joker well enough. Listing the trauma was the first step he took before dealing with it. "EDI give me something."

"Generators unresponsive. All hands brace for impact."

The artificial gravity abruptly cut. It didn't do much to the squad, the centripetal force keeping them pretty well crushed against the wall, but she saw Joker rise a little out of his chair before the restraints caught him and held him in place.

"This is gonna hurt," he said, pulling himself back down and tightening the restraint.

"Shepard?"

"Just hold tight Garrus."

She felt a hand tighten around her and squeezed back, recognising Miranda's grip after a moment. Her other hand was gripped by an even more familiar three fingered hand. Through the viewport the spiralling debris field became a spiralling mess of towers and metal.

The impact, when it came, was enough to make her black out. Pain spiked in the back of her head and all along her chest. There was a brief sensation of weightlessness and she came clattering down hard on the deck, her armour plates locking to shield her from impact. She had dropped Garrus and Miranda's hands but could feel a heavy weight she assumed was Jack on her chest. She wrapped her arms round Jack's body to try and shield her as they bounced again, the Normandy's internal gravity reengaging abruptly and struggling against the field of the Collector base.

The ship rose again and the weightlessness returned. This time when they crashed down it was with a juddering finality, skidding along the surface of the Collector base as the internal gravity finally gave up and they were subjected to the full force of the Collector base's eezo.

The Normandy whined a little as it settled into place, the view outside the windows finally settling on dull brown rock. Shepard dropped her head back to the deck and breathed out, letting her head settle.

"Uh, Shepard?" Jack's voice brought her back to the present. "You wanna let me go?"

She realised she was still holding Jack. Chuckling awkwardly she let go and the two of them sat up, taking in the damage for the rest of the crew. Miranda had a nasty looking cut on her forehead but was sitting and seemed to be lucid. Garrus was getting to his feet and although Jacob had been knocked right out to the airlock he seemed to be fine.

She looked to the pilot seat and saw Joker half out of it despite his restraints.

"Joker. You okay?"

He groaned loudly as he forced himself back up. Miranda helped him to get back properly. "Think I broke a rib, or all of them."

Miranda took out a patch of medi-gel and started to check his ribs while he activated the terminals again.

EDI's hologram couldn't manifest, and her voice was coming from only one speaker. "Multiple core systems overloaded during the crash. Restoring operation will take time."

Miranda finished applying medi-gel and pulled Joker's shirt down. "We all knew this was likely a one way trip."

"Well then we're off to a good start." Joker rubbed his face and tried to get more systems online. "What's next?"

Shepard got to her feet and stepped up next to him. "How long until the Collectors find this landing zone?"

"I do not detect an internal security network. It is possible the Collectors did not expect anyone to reach their base."

"If we're lucky," Joker didn't sound too sanguine about their luck. "Their external sensors were hit like we were. They might not even know we're alive."

"Or they might be massing the troops right down the hall from us."

"It doesn't matter." Shepard cut off the argument before it could begin. "Miranda assemble everyone in the briefing room. I'll be down shortly."

"Understood Shepard."

Once they had all left she sat down in the chair next to Joker. "Can you get us up and running again?"

"I don't know Commander. If it's just electrical systems that got fried then some patch job wiring, a couple of reboots and we might be golden. Won't know the full extent of the structural damage until we can get the ship's sensors back online."

"Okay." Shepard bit her lip and took his hand. "Get her space worthy Joker. As fast as humanly possible."

"Yes Commander."

She let go of his hand and headed for the CIC.

"Shepard?"

"Yes Joker?"

"Come back."

"Wait for my signal."

/|\

She walked in to find her crew checking their armoury. Jacob had shifted almost everything into the briefing room, so they wouldn't have to split the briefing and armament. She marched right to the head of the table and turned to face them, steeling her nerves, hiding behind the cold face that had carried her through so much. Somehow it didn't feel as steady any more.

"This isn't how we planned this mission, but this is where we're at. We can't worry about whether the Normandy can get us home. We came to stop the Collectors, and that means coming up with a plan to take out this station. EDI bring up your scans"

A glowing green projection of the Collector base appeared over the table, a glowing orange dot showing their position on the hull.

"You should be able to overload their critical systems if you get to the main control centre here." Another dot appeared, higher up the ship and centrally located.

"That means going through the heart of the station," Jacob said. "Right past this massive energy signature." He pointed to a darker green pulse that the orange line of their course went right through the middle of.

Shepard nodded. "That must be the central chamber. If our crew or any of the colonists are still alive the Collectors are probably holding them there."

Garrus was examining the internal schematics. Thankfully their echolators were still barely functional. Crude but useful. "Looks like there are two main routes. Might be a good idea to split up to keep the Collectors off balance. Then regroup in the central chamber."

"No good," Miranda said. "Both routes are blocked. See those doors? The only way past is to get someone to open them from the other side."

"It's not a fortress people, there's gotta be something."

"Here." Tali stepped forwards and activated the display. A thin yellow line was revealed running next to the main corridor. "Maybe we can send someone in through this ventilation shaft."

**High probability of failure. Ventilation shaft will be prone to heat exchange. The mission will be risky.**

"For an organic." She wondered if that had been his point. Her only other option would have been Tali. "Legion you can hack through anything. You can go through the shaft."

**Acknowledged.**

"The rest of us will break into two teams and fight down each passage. That should draw the Collector's attention away from what you're doing."

"I'll lead the second fire team Shepard," Miranda said immediately. "We'll meet up with you on the other side of the doors."

"I take orders from my battlemaster. No other."

To her credit Miranda didn't snap at him. Instead she nodded and turned to Shepard. "It's your choice Commander. You need someone who can command loyalty through experience."

Shepard considered. The route she planned to take, alongside the vent, would probably take less fire, and she needed Grunt to go down the main shaft. "Garrus. You're in charge of the second team. Grunt, Garrus is my most trusted, and he is your krantt. Is he acceptable?"

"Hrm. The turian and I have faced a foe before. He will do."

"Glad to hear it." She considered making further plans, but without proper intelligence it was useless. They would simply have to work it out as they went.

"I don't know what we're going to find in there," she said. "But I won't lie to you. It's not going to be easy. We've lost good people. We may lose more." She looked to Tali, who was checking her shotgun and eyeing Legion. "We don't know how many the Collectors have stolen. Thousands, hundreds of thousands, it's not important. What matters is this. Not one more. That's what we can do here today." She closed down the holo display. "It ends with us. Let's bring our people home."

"Where do you want me Shepard?" Miranda asked as the others filed out.

"Second to Garrus. Follow his lead, but I've found you useful in combat before. Don't hesitate to give him suggestions. This isn't the time to stand on protocol."

"Who will you take with you?"

"I'll need Tali. If the worst happens to Legion, maybe we can get her into the ventilation duct somehow. She'd be the next obvious choice."

"You'll need at least one more."

"I'll take Thane and Samara. If they can't cover me then we're in trouble."

"You're sending a pretty heavy team through the main tunnel."

"You're going to face resistance Miranda. Don't let me down."

She saluted formally for the first time. "Never. Commander."

Shepard returned the salute. "Agent Lawson."

Miranda dropped the salute, hesitating a moment before extending her hand. "it's been an honour."

Shepard shook her hand. "I intend to keep you all alive Ms Lawson. This isn't goodbye."

"Of course not."

**AN:-** So people who love Serenity have probably watched the bloopers, and will recognise some of the cockpit dialogue as being a little familiar.

I did a bit of extra interpretation on the 'these ships look ancient' talk. If the Omega-4 Relay has been there for as long as all the Relays then presumably ships in the previous few cycles tried it as well. Whose to say it hasn't been the Reapers staging area every cycle?

Couldn't resist a little nod to the Kodiak/Mako debate again. Seriously the mako was damn near indestructible, whereas if you run over a pebble in the kodiak it springs a leak.

I loved blowing up the Collector ship. I added in Shepard's little 'burn' moment as a shoutout to the Alan Moore Superman story 'For the Man who has Everything.' One of the best Superman stories ever written.

Artificial gravity in Mass Effect has always been a little bit inconsistent. They'll talk about generators and power being offline but somehow the gravity still functions. So every so often I turn it off. Inertial Compensators are a pretty common staple of sci-fi fiction, and one of my favourite toys to play with. Basically they're the generators which cancel out any drastic ship movement. So the ship might pull a ninety degree turn which in a car or plane would throw you against the wall, but in a ship the inertials keep the movement from affecting you. So whenever the inertials get shut off, suddenly we get some great Star Trek thrown across the cockpit moments.

I changed or took out quite a lot of the later dialogue. I do like having Miranda tend to Joker's injuries though. Its those little moments which show how people might become a team despite not being close friends . Like in my Bring Down the Sky novelisation where Wrex shields Tali from gunfire.

Bit more guessing about their different systems. They have lots of different scanners, so they must have some cruder old style systems to keep them active when the complicated stuff gets knocked out. The echolater I imagine would be a very brute force sensor. it bashes the Collector ship hard then pick up on returning sound waves. Most of the data was thus picked up while they were crashing.

Funny how a couple of minor changes can totally change the feel of a scene. Tali suggests the ventilation shaft, clearly intending for herself to go through it. Legion suggests that its too dangerous instead of Jacob, and suddenly it becomes a moment shared between the two, not just Shepard being the boss and laying down the law. Similarly it's normally Jack who protests Miranda being in charge, whereas of course in my fic she doesn't really have a reason to, whereas Grunt does, and similarly Grunt would approve of Garrus, who earlier in the story fought with him in his Rite. It all ties together.

So excited to start the brutal slaughter!


	68. 67: Over the Hill with the Swords

**AN:-** Chapter title is a joint reference to The Boys comic book by Garth Ennis and the Tenpole Tudor song Over the Hill with the Swords of a Thousand Men, which my dad once put on a cassette tape for me to take to boarding school when I was 11.

**Chapter Sixty-Seven: Over the Hill with the Swords of a Thousand Men**

The exterior of the Collector base was dreary. Looking up all they could see was the cloud of broken ships long dead. All around was bare metal and the strange rock-like substance they constructed their ships from. Harsh solar winds were pushing across the surface, tugging at any exposed fabrics. Tali's shawl fluttered slightly as she scanned the area ahead of them.

At her side Legion was silent and steady, its head moving back and forth at a steady pace, doubtless taking in data and processing potential scenarios. It identified the entrance to the ventilation shaft and moved to it.

Shepard took her squad to the left, following Legion but splitting off for the opening that led deeper into the base. She one last look over to the second team, Garrus at the head leading them down the main passageway. They were armed to the teeth, determined and ready. But she still couldn't shake the sense of dread that settled over her as she stepped beneath the shadow of the base.

**We are in position. **Legion's voice broke into her thoughts. Calm and ready. **Exterior temperature slightly elevated. No obstructions detected.**

"Second team, are you in position?"

"In position." Garrus' voice was just as calming. Suddenly it was just another mission. "Meet you on the other side of those doors."

Shepard drew her pistol. "Alright let's move up."

Samara and Thane took the lead down the hall, moving like a well-oiled team. The two of them had already begun to work so well together. She supposed that of all the team they were the most likely to. Shepard followed with Tali at her side, slipping into that old pattern with comfortable familiarity. Whatever else was between them, they could always work.

Thane signalled the arrival of the enemy, almost in time with his first attack, a biotic pulse that yanked a Collector into a metal support beam, shattering the fragile wing. Bullets lanced out and peppered their shields as they ran to cover positions. Tali activated her omni tool and a glowing orb appeared before her.

"New toy?" Shepard asked as she directed it forwards.

"Distraction. Small electrical charge for offence. Make the most of it."

Samara and Thane already were, using their biotics to mask and conceal the drone until the Collectors weren't even sure what they were shooting at. Then in the confusion would come twin gunshots and another pair of the enemy would hit the dirt. Shepard found a Collector approaching from cover to cover and sighted her pistol on him, waiting until the second the chitinous head popped up to put a round clean through the centre.

Another wave was already on the way, running up from further in. Shepard sprinted forward before they could get set and skidded to a stop behind a low wall, submachine gun ready to punch holes through the nearest foe. The roar of a shotgun alerted her to Tali making the same run, assault fire covering her as Samara and Thane forced the Collectors back into cover.

Shepard switched back to her pistol and put a round through a Collector armed with a particle beam just as her comm unit lit up with two transmissions.

"We're taking heavy fire but we're moving forwards." Garrus' voice was distorted by gunfire close by. Hopefully from his rifle, not a Collector's.

At the same time Legion's voice came over the link, calm as always.

**Pathing failure, there is an obstruction in the tunnel**

"Legion's stuck, we need to move up."

Samara and Thane clicked once to acknowledge, then burst from cover. Shepard stepped out to give them covering fire as the two sprinted past, assault rifle and pistol blazing. The final few Collectors dropped and the team was free to race up to where the ventilation shaft became visible through the cavern wall.

"There, over by the ventilation shaft." Tali still had her omni-tool activated. "That valve should open up the gate."

Through the clear surface of the shaft Shepard could see steam pouring over Legion, partially obscuring him. She couldn't imagine how hot it would be for an organic. Tali opened the valve and the steam immediately dissipated, allowing Legion to step through and continue.

"We have hostiles," Thane said.

Tali was still checking the shaft. "Shepard there will be more valves like this. If we don't get them open Legion will be melted by the heat."

"How many valves?"

"Eight, spaced equally along the route the shaft takes."

"Thane what's the resistance look like?"

His rifle was in synch with Samara's, pouring lead down range. "Heavy."

_Crap._ "Legion you're going to have to keep moving. There are seven more valves to get through. We'll keep pace on this side and open them ahead of you."

**Understood. Temperature still rising. Probability of structural damage increases with further movement.**

"Just keep moving, we'll get you out."

Shepard ignored the barricade Thane and Samara had going, running right out into enemy fire and relying on her shields for a crucial few seconds. They failed just as she got to cover and she felt a round deflect off her chest plate. She primed an incendiary charge and fired it into the middle of the Collector formation, sprinting towards them as it detonated. She vaulted their cover with her submachine gun in hand and jammed it into the belly of a Collector, using him as temporary cover from his allies.

Her rounds cut clean through him and took out the Collector behind as well, but the assault rifles the Collectors carried were more than capable of punching holes through the body. A bullet lodged itself in her upper arm, then another glanced off her helmet. She dropped the corpse and ran, her shields struggling to recharge.

Gunfire from behind caught her attention but she kept running, heading for the next valve. She reached it just as Legion did and punched the manual override, looking back to see that her team had taken care of the Collectors.

She didn't waste time congratulating them, following the curve of the path round to the next open space, where at least a dozen Collector were massing, ready to cut her down. She charged nonetheless, wondering if maybe her suicidal push would surprise them. It seemed the Collectors were incapable of such emotions though, and after a moment to aim they opened fire with deadly precision.

Her shields dropped in an instant and she was forced to leap for cover, firing her pistol as she flew through the air. Not one bullet hit, or even landed close enough to cause a Collector distress. But her wild run had served as a distraction, and the gravity lurched sickeningly as Samara launched a powerful attack that sent three Collectors tumbling right over the edge of the platforms.

_That's why we have rails,_ she thought as she commando crawled behind her cover, heading for the next valve.

The valve was out in the open, and half a dozen Collectors made her think running for it would be a bad idea. She drew her SMG and pistol, one in each hand, and breathed deeply, already anticipating the punch of bullets in her back. Just as she was about to burst from cover someone tapped her on the shoulder and she turned to see Tali, shaking her helmet and brandishing her shotgun.

Shepard nodded and they knelt together, Tali holding up her hand and counting down. _Three, two, one…_

They raced out, Shepard shielding Tali with her body and shields as fire pummelled them. They ate up the distance at full speed but Shepard's shield warning was already triggering and a moment later a bullet caught her high in the shoulder. She yelled and staggered but Tali was already moving to take the brunt of the fire, her shields briefly interlocking with what was left of Shepard's.

Shepard fired from behind Tali's back, scoring at least one hit, and they were at the valve control. Tali smacked it open just as her own shields fell. They started to run back but neither of them had had a chance to let their shields recharge. The gap looked even longer as fire continued to pound around them.

All of a sudden it cut out and they looked to see Samara and Thane in the middle of the Collectors, moving with practiced grace as they easily sliced through the enemy, in Thane's case literally, using a sword he had carried on his back to part limbs and heads. Samara's arms were a haze of blue fire as she drove powerful punches clean through the Collector carapaces, spraying ichor and slime everywhere.

The final enemy fell and they ran, Thane returning the blade to its sheath and drawing his pistol instead. Shepard knocked the heat sinks from her weapons and reloaded, shifting to her AM rifle.

"We cannot keep up this assault," Samara said as she threw a Collector off into space.

"We have to or Legion's cooked."

The next few valves were all along the corridor they were running down, and it was easy enough to punch them and keep running. The Collector resistance was much less, and with no cover for them to barricade themselves behind they fell easily to the combined fire of the four commandos.

They ran out into another large chamber, another dozen Collectors all behind barricades and a valve switch out in the open on the side of the room.

Shepard started running. "Keep them busy," she yelled back.

All around her bullets whizzed, cutting down her shields, some punching through to flatten against her armour. She vaulted a low ledge, feeling her muscles beginning to tighten as the upgrades kicked in, her view narrowing until all she could see was the valve switch. In slow motion she watched it draw closer, her senses heightening until she thought she could hear each individual gunshot from the dozen rifles all firing in unison.

She hit the button and bounced off the wall, already on her new target, the Collectors behind cover keeping her team pinned. She raised the rifle and fired it almost from the hip, blasting a Collector in half at the midsection. Rather than reload she dropped it and let her momentum carry her into the next enemy, grabbing him round the neck and slamming her fist down hard

The force of the blow took her fist right through the Collector's throat and out the other side. The light in its eyes died at once but she was already moving, bringing her hand out soaked in gore and elbowing the next Collector in the side of the head. It staggered back and turned to face her but before it could bring its gun to bear a bullet took its head off.

She didn't waste time to see who had fired, moving for the next enemy in the defence. Her blood pounded in her ears too loud for her to hear anything, but she saw the change come over her next target, glowing orange and curling over into a ball. She tried to put on more speed but it was too late, the moment she reached the Collector the possession was finished, and with a single blow it knocked her to the floor.

She rolled to avoid it stamping its foot down and came up swinging, catching it with a punishing blow to the knee. She rose up and jumped to add more force to her punch, sending Harbinger to the floor. He looked up at her and that uncanny voice echoed in her head again, disrupting the flow of adrenaline.

this assault is pointless and will fail

She kneed him in the face and broke some of the hard plates of the Collector's face.

you will all die in this place

Someone appeared at her side and she recognised the graceful movements of Thane as he skilfully avoided a punch and swung his sword down, managing to take two talons from Harbinger's hand.

"Get Legion," she shouted to him. "Go!"

He spared a single moment to gauge her expression, then nodded and turned to run. She felt something press into the palm of her hand and her grip tightened reflexively. She realised he had left her the sword just in time for Harbinger to recover and kick her in the gut.

_Alright then. Sword fighting a Collector. Let's go._

She had of course lied to Morinth. You couldn't be a fan of as many old-Earth movies and she was and not have wondered about it. The sword Thane had left her wasn't exactly the rapier she had learned with but she could make do. As she watched Harbinger coming she couldn't help but smile beneath her helmet. He had no idea what would come next.

She dodged his first wild punch and sliced deep into his abdomen. The blow did little to faze him and he quickly pressed the attack. She didn't bother with evasion, choosing instead to slice cleanly through his left hand at the wrist, then his left arm at the elbow. Harbinger stepped back and actually looked down at his severed limbs. She stepped in to finish the job and he kicked her.

primitive

She dodged the kick and took his left arm. "Winning," she retorted.

He tried to kick her again but it was child's play to avoid the attack and knock him off balance and onto the floor, where a single swipe of the sword took his head. The body dissolved into goop and she ran back to her rifle, not even bothering with the customary quip.

The next valve was on the wall and was already opened as she sprinted past, racking a new heat sink into her gun. Legion's voice came over the comm again, distorted in some way.

**Reached final valve. Temperature at critical levels. We require assistance.**

_What are they playing at?"_

She reached the next room to see nearly thirty Collectors, all hunkered down behind cover and keeping her team pinned in place. At the far end she could see the end of the pipeline, but she couldn't make out Legion. Fire had erupted inside the shaft, and was leaking out of multiple holes.

_Oh god._

She dropped to one knee and set the rifle to her eye, finding the valve in an instant. As the first bullets began to land around her she let out one half-breath and fired.

As she drew her pistol to return fire on the Collectors she saw the valve release glow green for a successful access. The door opened and fire gouted into the room, a dark shape clearly visible as it dropped to the floor. Legion crawled away from the shaft and towards the far door, intent on finishing its mission.

"Come in!"

Her comm buzzed, Garrus' voice nearly obscured by the noise of the gunfight.

"Look out, Seeker Swarms!" She recognised Miranda as well over the link, close enough she could be heard through Garrus' mic.

"We're in position, we need this door open now."

She couldn't spare the time to answer, trying desperately to find what little cover there was on their side. _Come on Legion._

The geth reached the door and got to work, hacking through the locks in an instant. The door opened to reveal her second team pressed right back against the door, guns blazing as they fought to keep back the heavy resistance. Biotics swirled as Miranda and Jack fought to clear a path for the others. Above it all came Grunt's mad laughter.

The Collectors inside their room turned to see the squad approaching behind. Shepard opened the comm link.

"On your six!"

The command no soldier would avoid. Jacob and Garrus turned as one to see the Collectors inside the room and opened fire in the next breath. The Collectors, ambushed, dropped easily. Several of them tried to shift their cover, but that only left them open to the deadly fire from Samara and Thane.

The door began to close, Legion now standing as it made its way to the way out from their gunfight. Shepard raced down to Samara, Thane and Tali.

"We have to get across the room."

"Agreed." Tali opened up her omni-tool. "This should buy us a few seconds."

She released the drone into the mess and several of the Collectors turned to target it. It gave them the shot they needed to break from cover and sprint across the room, joining Garrus and his team on the other side. Legion was crouched by the lock, clearly still suffering from the fire damage. Tali crouched next to him and got to work on the bypass as well.

The door opened and they fell back into the next room, shields overlapping to give them additional cover. Legion and Tali raced for the door controls on the other side, Kasumi joining them a moment later. The three were able to get the door open enough to admit the whole team, who promptly lined up, firing squad style, to keep the Collectors back.

**The door has malfunctioned, path blocked.**

"Suppressing fire." For the first time she heard the note of command in Garrus' voice. She hadn't expected it at all, but suddenly she understood why so many were willing to follow him. "Don't let anyone through that door."

Agonisingly slowly it began to close. Their shields were faltering now, and she saw rounds impacting Grunt's armour and punching through. She wasn't too concerned for him, but a moment later Miranda cried out as a bullet hit her in the shoulder. She was almost in the middle of the formation, a prime target for the Collectors. Shepard turned to shield her only to see Jack beating her to it.

The door unstuck and began to slide closed but not before a bullet slamming into Jack from behind, punching a hole clean through her and out just under her ribs. Miranda grabbed the convict, returning fire over her shoulder.

The door slammed closed and they turned to see Miranda laying Jack out on the floor.

**AN:-** Uh oh.

I'm so tempted to just leave it there y'know? Take a break for a month or so.

I only realised in hindsight I didn't include the reference to Shepard lying about her skills with a blade in the Morinth chapter, which was where I meant to put it. When I do the rewrite I will definitely put that line back in there. She's not like a master swordsman or anything, but she was fascinated by movies like Pirates of the Caribbean and Zorro, so she took some lessons during her downtime. I had this vague idea about her really getting into it after Akuze, because she was reduced to using her knife during the Thresher attack and had this irrational idea she fixated on that if she was better with a blade she could have saved people. Then by the time she had worked through the shell shock of the event she just kept up the sword. And I know there's nothing in canon to suggest that Thane uses a sword but come on. He's a master assassin he must have some blade skills.

I absolutely love the 'primitive' 'Winning!' thing between her and Harbinger. Although the temptation to include some reference to the black knight from Monty Python was overwhelming. Harbinger I don't think would have much formal training in a fight, relying on just being ultra-strong, impervious to pain and damn near unkillable to win. Which are obviously advantages but against someone using a weapon they are skilled with a fist fighter isn't gong to cut it.

So this was fun. Already got some nice injuries going on here. Oh yeah and Jack may be dead.


	69. Chapter 68: The Long Walk

**AN:-** Now now. Patience friends.

**Chapter Sixty-Eight: The Long Walk**

Shepard ran over to Jack to find her cursing, gritting her teeth in pain but perfectly lucid as Miranda applied medi-gel to the affected area.

"You alright Jack?"

"Not the first time I've been shot Shepard. Fuck!"

"So what was that for?" Shepard asked as she knelt next to them.

Jack grimaced at Miranda. "Owed you for the Collector base." She grunted in pain as Miranda turned her over to work on her back. "Now we're even."

"I was considering even saying thank you, but you had to go and ruin it."

"Bitch."

"Thug."

Confident that Jack wasn't critical Shepard turned to see Legion struggling to his feet, assisted by Kasumi. The knee joint on his left leg had been melted into an indistinct blob of metal and his armour had been charred almost coal black. One of his face plates was missing as well, giving him an odd lopsided look.

"Nice work Legion." She walked over and rested a hand on his shoulder. "I knew I could count on you."

He paused for a moment, and if he were human she would have thought he was confused, before resting a hand on top of hers.

The moment was broken by Kasumi's horrified voice. "Shepard, you need to see this."

She turned to see Kasumi looking just past the corner to where the room opened up. Wondering what could have spooked her so badly Shepard walked next to her, freezing as she took in the sight before her.

Pods.

Thousands of pods hung from the walls, the ceiling, and were scattered all around them. The room in the Collector base could have taken even human in the Terminus System, yet it would have been dwarfed by the size of this room.

_Not thousands,_ she realised with mounting horror as she struggled to take in the full scope and vastness._ Millions._ They covered every surface, piled two or three deep in some place. The room was bigger than the Council Chamber, bigger than the Systems Alliance parliament on Earth. As she stepped further in and saw over the edge how the pods even continued below their feet she thought that the Normandy could have flown down the centre and barely even touched the sides.

"Keelah."

"Jesus."

Behind her the rest of the team was arriving, all of them stopping when they saw the scale of the room.

Miranda came forwards, still supporting Jack. "What could they possibly be doing with this many pods?"

Legion was of course the first to recover, limping over to examine one of the pods.

**Identification confirmed. Colonist. Human. Horizon Settlement.**

Thane was checking the pods as well. "This man is from the Normandy crew."

Shepard walked over to where Legion was examining the colonist pod. As she approached the woman started to stir, her eyes fluttering open and her hands coming up to press against the glass. She screamed something that Shepard couldn't hear.

"We'll get you out," Shepard yelled back, making the OK sign with her fingers. She began to search for an outlet of some sort when the pod began to hiss, steam rising along a seam she couldn't make out.

She looked back up to see the pod filling with smoke, and inside the colonist was hammering on the glass, clearly screaming in terror.

"Get this open!" She yelled, pounding on the glass. It didn't even crack.

She watched with horror as the colonist's skin went slack on her face, blood falling from her eyes like tears. The colonist brought her hands up to her face and Shepard saw blood pouring from the fingernails. She raked her hands down her face and the skin fell away, revealing the musculature of her cheeks.

Her eyes were still moving, still trying to focus on Shepard's face.

A hand on her shoulder forced her back.

Zaeed's armour came into focus as he put his rifle up against the glass and squeezed the trigger. The rounds shattered the glass and he reached in to pull the woman out. When he retrieved his hand all that was left was a sickly red paste.

Shepard came back to her senses in a hurry. "Get them out of there now!"

They raced to action, drawing weapons and blasting the glass apart, saving whoever they could. Shepard worked feverishly, expending clip after clip as she ran from pod to pod. Sometimes she was able to pull a fully intact human from inside, other times it was too late, and the person disintegrated in her fingers. She broke one pod and grabbed the guy inside only for his legs to remain stuck, dissolving already into the ooze. He was already dead when he hit the deck, but it was a small mercy.

"There's no more," Samara finally reported. "Everyone else is already lost."

Shepard forced herself up and looked over to the huddle of people, all clinging to each other for support. "How many?"

It took a minute to do a headcount. Miranda came back to her, a grim look on her face. "All the crew not killed by the Collectors survived. We got maybe a dozen of the colonists out in time."

_A dozen colonists out of hundreds taken._ Shepard clenched her jaw until it hurt.

"Alright. Let's get these people safe."

She walked over to the group and saw one grey-haired woman moving from person to person, making sure the others were safe before she attended to herself.

"Dr Chakwas." Her voice choked with tears. "Thank god."

The doctor almost fell against her, clinging to her for support or comfort Shepard didn't know. She wrapped her arms around Chakwas and held her tight.

"Shepard. You came for us."

"No one gets left behind."

Someone else intruded on the moment. A familiar voice, with unfamiliar sadness. "Thank god you got here in time." Shepard pulled away from Chakwas to see the tear-streaked face of Kelly Chambers. "A few more seconds and… I don't even wanna think about it."

Shepard pulled her into a one armed hug as Chakwas explained.

"Most of the colonists were processed. Those swarms of little robots… they melted their bodies into grey liquid and pumped it through these tubes."

She pointed overhead to where heavy cables led deeper into the base. Shepard wasn't sure but she had a feeling their path took them the same way.

"Why are they doing this?" A man pushed his way forwards and she gasped with relief as she recognised Rolston. "What are they doing with our genetic material?"

"I don't know I'm just glad we got here before it happened to you." She accepted his hand and they shook.

"You still have a job to do," Chakwas said. "Don't worry about us.

She nodded, opening her comm link. "Joker, can you get a fix on our position?"

"Roger that Commander. All those tubes lead into the main control room right above you. The route is blocked by a security door, but there's another chamber that runs parallel to the one you're in."

"I cannot recommend that," EDI's voice broke in. "Thermal emissions suggest the chamber is overrun with Seeker Swarms. Mordin's countermeasure cannot protect you against so many at once."

"What about biotics? Could we create a biotic field to keep them from getting near us?"

Samara came forwards from the squad, nodding. "Yes. I think it may be possible. I wouldn't be able to protect everyone. But we might be able to get a small team through if they stayed close."

Miranda was on her other side. "In theory, any biotic could handle it. Shepard, who do you want to maintain the field?"

"Samara can hold the field. But Jack and Miranda, you come with me, just in case." She turned back to the squad. "The rest of you provide a diversion by going through the main passage. We'll open up the security doors from the other side and meet you there." She nodded to Garrus. "You still up for leading?"

"By the time you reach us there won't be any enemies left."

"Good man." She turned back to the survivors. "I can't leave you wandering the base. But it's a long way back to the Normandy."

EDI interrupted her train of thought. "Commander. We have enough systems back online to do a pickup.

"We can't do it from where you are," Joker amended. "We'd need to land back from your position."

"We can't afford to go back, but you'll never make it without help." She ran over options and nodded. "Only one solution." She turned back to the squad again. "Zaeed, Mordin. Get these people to safety. Then Mordin you administer any medical treatments necessary to the colonists or the crew.

"I'm not a damn babysitter Shepard."

"You're a damn whatever I tell you you are Massani. Get it done."

Mordin keyed his omni-tool while Zaeed went to grumble at the head of the pack. "Joker, need location of landing zone. Will meet you there."

"We've all got our assignments, let's move out."

At the door to the service tunnel she turned to Samara. "Are you sure you can hold this field?"

She had already begun to glow, the pale fire encircling her entire body. "I will not let you down Shepard."

"Then let's go." Shepard opened the door and they stepped into the tunnel, a glowing blue bubble surrounding them.

The swarm was on them immediately, smacking against the edge of the bubble, flickering light marking their passage. Samara marched with quiet confidence, her arms raised to maintain the field at a constant size as they advanced slowly through the hallway.

It was much darker than the rest of the ship had been, the dull orange light replaced with a cold harsh blue. Deep shadows stretched out from jagged formations set in the walls. Hunks of steel, unfinished construction materials. The floor was uneven and patchy, threatening to trip them if they weren't careful.

"Why are the lights off?" Jack asked as they moved down a winding path.

"It must be for the Seekers," Miranda was examining them as they splattered against the bubble. "Maybe it keeps them more docile?"

"Well it's not working."

"Quiet." Shepard heard something behind the chittering of the Seekers. "I think we've got incoming."

A moment later a Collector appeared over the rim of the platforms, wings buzzing as it came down to a landing. It opened fire and for a moment the bubble weakened. "Shepard!" Samara fell to one knee.

Miranda dropped the Collector with a controlled burst from her SMG as Shepard ran to held Samara up. "You alright?"

"I cannot maintain the shield against both the Seekers and Collectors."

"Okay. We'll just have to keep them off your back."

"That would be appreciated."

Jack fired her shotgun and another Collector went spinning to the deck but there were still more behind it. Shepard snapped her pistol up and put a bullet right into a glowing yellow eye. Samara fought to keep moving and they marched along next to her, shifting from cover to cover steadily to keep moving.

They were ascending now, forced to clamber up onto ledges to keep moving. Miranda helped Samara up to an even plane and they took a moment to breathe. "We must keep moving," Samara said. Her voice was hoarse and sweat was pouring down her face.

Before Shepard could give the order a piercing wail washed over them. They all recognised the sound, and a moment later a grey faced husk hauled itself over the top. Miranda blew its head clean off, but there were already two more to take its place.

"We have to get moving. Samara, can you run?"

In answer Samara took off at pace, her long legs lending her speed. They followed behind; Jack firing her shotgun one handed to blast a husk in half. She cursed and rubbed her side where the bullet had hit. "Fuck this."

Shepard popped a glowing red husk and ducked as it exploded. "You might have a point."

"Damn right I've got a point."

They ran past at least a dozen husks, doing their best to shoot as many as possible. They were still moving up, but on a gentle incline now. The constant running and gunning was beginning to tell on her teams' faces, even Miranda looking winded as she slammed a new heat sink home and opened fire on a gaggle of husks trying to come up on their side.

They rounded another bend and ran headlong into gunfire. The shield flared and disappeared, and for one terrifying minute they were unprotected as the Seekers came in for an attack.

Samara let loose a battle cry and the shield exploded into life again, cutting two husks cleanly in half as it slammed down on either side of them. Shepard wasted no time drawing the Widow and blasting a Collector square in the torso, punching a fist-sized hole clean through it. Miranda spraying their line, forcing the bugs into cover. Jack was still dealing with the husks trying to come up behind them, and Shepard drew her pistol in her off hand as she worked the action on her rifle one handed.

She shot two husks while struggling to get another heat sink into the rifle when Miranda grabbed it and loaded the round properly for her. Nodding her thanks she switched back to the rifle and took down another Collector before repeating the arduous process again. Thankfully there were only four Collectors ahead of them, and as she watched Miranda took down another, leaving only one left.

"We gotta move." Jack was retreating from the husks behind them. And Shepard turned to see a sea of them, coming closer.

They ran forwards, Samara stumbling and nearly falling until Jack grabbed her under the shoulders and set her straight. The Collector ahead of them stood and aimed but Shepard took him with a single bullet.

"Oh you've gotta be fuckin' kidding me."

Around the next bend more husks awaited them, and in the middle a scion, charging with biotic power.

"Shepard…" Samara's voice was weak, and as they came to a stop she dropped to one knee.

"Jack, can you take the shield?"

"Shit." Jack dropped the shotgun and held up her hands, flaring blue. "I got it."

Samara dropped to the deck, panting, and Jack swore as attacks started raining on the shield. "I can't keep them out."

"Just give me one more second."

Shepard grabbed the submachine gun off Samara's belt, field stripping it down to its parts in seconds.

Miranda crouched next to her, firing through the field with both guns at once. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Old trick." Shepard grabbed the ammo block. "Can you charge this up for me?"

"What?"

"Charge it with biotic power."

Miranda grabbed it and concentrated, energy streaming from her fingers and into the metal until it glowed hot. Shepard grabbed it back and pitched it forwards in the direction of the scion. "Jack, brace yourself."

"Easy for you to-"

The explosion shook the deck, shredding the husks to pieces and leaving the scion with a smoking crater where its chest used to be.

"Move!"

They sprinted forwards, the bubble around them fading in and out of existence as Jack struggled to keep it place. "Hang on Jack, just hang on."

Up ahead the light grew stronger and she could see more Collectors massing. She swore and shifted to her submachine gun. They were running nearly dry on ammo, and Jack was going to drop the field any moment.

"Miranda, help her."

Miranda glowed blue as well, adding her strength to the field. But the addition of an additional biotic was always a risk. Some biotics could function perfectly in unison, others would only ever repel. _Like magnetic poles, _her instructor had told her.

Miranda's help powered the shield, but the energy began to roil around the edges, storm clouds of biotic force lancing out and burning holes in the decking around them. "Come on!" Jack yelled.

Ahead they could see the door, half a dozen Collectors gathered around it firing at them. From above came more gunshots and she looked up to see a dozen more enemies flying above them. She fired up and succeeded in bringing one of them spiralling down to fall among the army of husks which was still behind them.

She risked the biotic fire to grab Jack's hand for a second. "Hold on, we're almost there."

The only response was a pained growl. She let go, her glove charred and burnt by the force.

Samara was flagging badly as well. "Shepard, we need to get out of here." She fired her assault rifle and managed to hit one of the Collectors ahead, but the others had sighted on them now and the shield flared as bullets struck it again and again.

They were on the downward slope now, in full charge as Miranda and Jack fought to keep the bubble intact. Samara's biotic field flickered a few times but she was clearly too exhausted to help them. Shepard fired until her weapons were dry, bringing down two more of the Collectors. Samara shot a third through the chest and it dropped against the door, activating it.

It opened to reveal a clear corridor beyond, if they could only get there.

"Hurry Shepard."

They were halfway down the ramp, the resistance falling back to beyond the door. But from behind more shots and the shield began to dim. Miranda tripped and went sprawling to the floor, somehow still keeping the field intact. Shepard grabbed her and lifted her as the first bullets began to punch through.

Jack screamed as a bullet punched through her shoulder but then Samara was beside her shooting the offending Collector out of the air. A bullet hit Samara in the leg, then another in the stomach. She continued to fire, her face serene as she brought down Collector after Collector. Miranda fought free of Shepard and grabbed Jack's hand, pouring energy into it. Two more bullets caught Samara in the chest and shoulder as Jack began to glow bright blue.

Shepard realised a second before it happened what was coming, and ducked to the floor, covering her head.

The biotic dome exploded outwards, expanding like the shockwave of nuclear blast. The husks were disintegrated as it touched them, the Seeker swarms igniting in mid-air. Any Collectors too foolish not to retreat were blown apart by the energy pulse. Jack and Miranda burned white hot for a split second, then went dark, swaying drastically.

Shepard grabbed Jack as Samara caught Miranda and they made for the door. Nothing was close enough to worry them as they raced the final few yards and slid into cover behind the door, Shepard jabbing the controls and slamming the door shut.

She collapsed against the door on the other side, breathing hard and trying to bring her racing thoughts under control. Jack groaned and put a hand to her shoulder. "Fuck. Again?"

Shepard triggered some more medi-gel and injected it into the wound, the biofoam sealing and cleaning it before setting.

"Shepard…"

She looked over to see Miranda helping Samara administer care to the wound in her stomach. "It's bad."

"How bad?"

"I will be fine," Samara said. "But without care I will deteriorate rapidly."

"Then let's get you some proper care." Shepard helped her to stand and they limped down the corridor. "Miranda, how you doing?"

"Took a graze, but I'm fine."

"Uh Shep? You're bleeding."

Shepard looked down to see blood streaking most of her left arm, as well as a hole in the front of her hip plate. "I'll deal with it later."

"Shepard your upgrades keep you on your feet, but they're not medical grade."

"We need to get the door open for our people." Samara moved away as she found her feet again. "And we need ammo."

They found the right door, Miranda going to run the bypass. Shepard crouched next to the door and set her rifle to her shoulder.

Her comm unit stopped fizzing and a clear signal came through. "Do you copy, come on Shepard, where are you?"

"I copy, what's your position?"

"We're pinned down at the door, taking heavy fire."

Miranda activated her omni tool and the door began to open, admitting the team, looking battered and bruised. Garrus was the last through, his assault rifle smoking with heat. He knelt next to Shepard as the door closed, their combined fire keeping the Collectors at bay.

"Thanks for the assist."

"No problem." She looked him up and down and saw an ugly hole by his shoulder. "You're hit."

"So are you."

She turned to the rest of the squad. "Casualties?"

Thane was sporting a bad cut on his chest from a Collector's boot. Jacob reckoned he had a broken wrist and collar bone, along with a graze across his forehead. Kasumi's foot had been crushed by a falling block of masonry. Grunt insisted he wasn't hurt, but he was leaking from at least a dozen holes. Legion had lost half of the foot on his good leg to a particle beam. Only Tali had somehow escaped all injury.

"But we're functional Shepard. Ready to finish this."

"Aren't we all Garrus."

She activated her comm again.

"Joker? Are you at the rendezvous point?"

"I'm here Commander, Chakwas and the rest of the crew just showed up."

"All safe?"

"No casualties."

She breathed again. The others saw her relief and she felt the mood lift.

"Zaeed's on his way back to you now."

"Really?"

"Said he'd do more good with you."

She wasn't sure about the sound of that, but they could certainly use every gun they had. "Let's make it count. EDI, what's our next step?"

"There should be some nearby platforms that will take you to the main control console. From there you can overload the system and destroy the base."

"You got a problem." _We've always got a problem Joker._ "Hostiles are massing just outside the door. Won't be long until they make it through."

Garrus touched her forearm and she turned to him. "A rearguard could defend this position and keep the Collectors from overwhelming us."

Miranda nodded. "Pick a team to go with you Shepard. Everyone else can bunker down here and cover your back."

"Right." She surveyed the squad before her, wondering how she was supposed to choose. The rearguard was almost guaranteed to be suicide for some of them. But she didn't know what she would face ahead either. "Tali, I'll need you."

"Someone has to work the machines I guess."

"Miranda, you too."

Miranda came to stand next to her, looking uncertain.

"We'll need a quick assault to get to the control room. I guess that means Jack and Samara are in. Thane, you too."

The three came to stand by her.

"The rest of you, get bunkered down. Hold this position. Fall back as necessary, there's plenty of space for it. Don't try and be heroes. Don't try and take the army on by yourself. Just keep them busy until our job's done. Understood?"

Garrus loaded his rifle and nodded. "We'll give 'em hell Commander."

Grunt stomped forwards, pulling two weapons off his back. "You will need this," he said, passing her the particle beam. "And the doctor made me this. It will not work for defence." He passed her a bulky looking weapon, stamped with warning symbols and painted yellow. "You have only one shot."

She accepted the weapon and attached it to her back, passing the Particle Beam to Samara. "I'll make it count."

She stepped up onto the first platform, surrounded by her chosen crew. "I guess this is where I'm supposed to make a speech. But I've got nothing. Stay alive. Make me proud."

**AN:-** Hee hee. That was fun.

'Bitch.' 'Thug.' Nicked from Supernatural. 'Bitch.' 'Jerk.' Just seemed appropriate.

Man the Collectors are horrifying aren't they? Especially that whole melting people thing.

I never said I was going to start the slaughter this chapter did I? Still got another two to go at least.


	70. Chapter 69: Endgame

**AN:-** And here we are again.

**Chapter Sixty-Nine: Endgame**

They ran to the first of the platforms, collecting heat sinks from right off the ground as they went. Shepard checked her SMG and wasn't surprised to find it was nearly halfway through the ammunition block, the barrel giving off a warp-warning. She had been firing it near continuously after all. She remembered vividly the final fight against Saren, each of their guns ending up useless from the constant firing.

She didn't have much time to reminisce as another platform came flying up to meet them. She and Thane set up their sniper rifles and brought down two of the Collectors at long range before the platforms had even interlocked. The moment they were in position Samara and Jack opened fire, bringing down the final two on the platform.

Tali led the way onto the next platform. "How many of these are we going to need to get to the central control room?"

"Too many. Hopefully we can commandeer one of them."

Two more platforms were already hoving into view. Once more Shepard was struck by memory as she set her rifle in place and knocked one of the Collectors off the platform, racking the action. On the Collector base splitting the team, fighting on the platforms, had ended with Kasumi bullet-riddled and in the infirmary.

She managed another kill before the platforms interlocked, then sent her team both ways. Samara, Jack and Tali took one platform while Miranda and Thane followed her onto the next. They hacked through the Collectors easily enough, reconvening in the middle in time to see three platforms now approaching.

"Do they just increase the numbers or something?" Jack kept trying to relight her biotic fire but the trip through the Seeker swarms had knocked all of them for six.

Shepard and Thane started firing, bringing down Collectors and husks alike before the platforms aligned, switching to close range for the assault. Shepard followed behind Miranda, letting her force the Collectors into cover with her submachine gun before Shepard killed them with her pistol, the powerful Carnifax rounds making short work of any armour or shields.

From the other flank Samara and Thane were driving their own Collectors into the middle, leaving Jack and Tali free to take out the husks which tried to force their way through the middle. As they searched for a control panel of some sort Shepard glanced back to see how far they had come from the rearguard. It was far enough that she couldn't even make out the door they were guarding.

"Just think," Miranda said, coming to stand by her. "We'll have to walk all that way back when we're done."

"You really think we're coming back?"

"I think you didn't mean to."

Shepard closed her eyes and shook her head slightly. "Back in formation Miranda."

Even as she said it another three platforms were flying in, two of them carrying the heaving bulk of a scion. Shepard set her rifle to her eye and fired, blasting an arm clean off one of them. Thane's rifle cracked as well, and a husk screamed as it tumbled from the platform.

The fight was short and furious. The Collectors let the husks swarm them, forcing them to be always falling back, and every time they dropped out of cover bullets punched at their shields. Another shot made its way through the Shepard, hitting her in the leg. She watched as Miranda caught a bullet in the forearm and Thane was forced to fight a husk hand to hand.

"Everybody down!" Tali suddenly yelled.

Shepard dropped on instinct and was barely able to get her head up in time to see a piercing beam of red laser light sweep over them, cutting the husks in half and shearing the metal around them in two. Looking ahead she saw two Collectors fall dead, the third one missing an arm and a significant chunk of chest. Samara put it down with a single shot as Shepard turned to Tali.

"What was that?"

"One last trick from my father." She dropped a smoking cylinder of metal. "One shot only I'm afraid."

"Your dad knew his stuff," Jack said as she forced herself up. "Oh look, more for the party."

Shepard watched the final platform approach, bringing her rifle back up to sight through the scope. "I see a control panel on this one Jack."

"Anything else?"

"I might see a scion and a glowing Collector."

They all reloaded. "Might have told us that part first."

"Maybe next time." Shepard fired, the bullet knocking out the scion's leg. Thane's shot took the Collector next to it. Harbinger stepped right to the edge of the platform and looked down at them.

"Come on big boy," she yelled. "You know you want it."

Apparently he did, cocking his head and then leaping from the platform towards her. She judged that he was going to land almost at her feet when a biotic blast hit him from the side, sending the glowing Collector body off into the depths of the ship. She turned to see Miranda, sweat pouring her face and her hand glowing blue.

"I maybe had a little left," she said, dropping to one knee.

"Let's get on board people."

As they climbed on a familiar scream reached them, and she turned to see husks, swarming over the edges on either side and heading right for them.

"Crap."

Thane drew his sword in his off hand. "If we don't fight them they will overwhelm the rearguard."

"But we need to get to the central control room."

Thane and Samara shared a single look, then stepped off the platform. "Then we must hold them here."

"No!"

The husks were getting closer. Jack and Tali opened up on one side as Miranda took the particle beam and used it to keep the other side at bay.

Samara gave her a sympathetic smile. "There is no time to argue and no other choice. We will hold them, as long as we can."

"You'll be slaughtered in seconds."

"Fuck." Jack jumped off as well. "Fuck fucking fuck. Three of us will last longer." She turned back to Shepard. "Make this fucking worth it. Fuck." She smiled. "I knew I'd live to regret this. I'm on your team, you bitch." She grabbed Shepard and kissed her on the forehead. "But I was much better off as a pirate."

The platform moved as she let go, and Shepard looked back to see Tali at the controls. "No!" She ran over only to have Miranda grab her shoulder.

"It's their choice."

"Goddamn it!" She slammed her fist into the panel hard enough to dent the solid metal. "I want his head on a spike."

"Who?"

"Your boss Miranda. I'm going to kill him for this. They didn't need to die."

"Shepard." Tali's quiet voice broke through her rage. "We're here."

She looked up and saw the tubes overhead, leading through a short hallway and into a wide open space beyond. "This is it," she said. "EDI what can you tell us? What are they doing?"

They moved down the tunnel, checking their corners and moving slowly as EDI explained. "The tubes are feeding into some kind of super structure. It is emitting both organic and non-organic energy signatures. Given these readings, it must be massive. Shepard."

Shepard was already there. She knew what she was about to see as they rounded the final corner. Even though she could barely comprehend it.

"If my calculations are correct, the super structure is a Reaper."

"Well…" She let her eyes travel slowly up the thing before her. "You're uh…" She finally reached its head, tilting her head slightly to try and take it all in. "You're not wrong."

"Commander what is it?"

"It's a uh." She didn't have the vocabulary. All she could do was be blunt. "Joker it appears to be a human Reaper."

"Ah."

"My thoughts precisely." She couldn't take her eyes off it, tracking her eyes over the thing's skeletal skull. She couldn't see how it was powered, but there was definitely energy glowing beneath the surfaces.

"It appears the Collectors have processed tens of thousands of humans. Significantly more will be required to complete the Reaper."

"Could you even speculate on that number?"

"Millions Shepard. Potentially billions. If this Reaper would be the size of Sovereign or Harbinger it may require a majority of the galactic human population to complete."

"I guess that settles any debate."

"Who would possibly debate this Shepard?" Miranda had never looked more scared.

"One guess, his name starts with 'the.'" Shepard got back on the comm. "EDI how do we destroy it?"

"The large tubes injecting the fluid are a weak structural link. Destroying them should cause the supports to collapse and the Reaper to fall."

Shepard looked up to see four massive metal cylinders screwed into the thing's shoulders. The sheaths were partially retracted to show grey liquid being pumped in through the tubes.

"Take out those tubes. Hurry."

Shepard set her rifle to her shoulder and fired, blasting straight through the tube as Tali and Miranda opened fire on their. The Reaper dropped, hanging for a moment on only one tube before it ripped free of the support and the entire thing disappeared into the shaft beneath. Shepard walked over to the edge of the platform and looked down; making sure it hadn't gotten stuck on the way down.

"That was a little anticlimactic."

"What do you want Tali, it was a half-formed baby Reaper, it's hardly going to put up a fight." She stepped away and opened the comm link. "Shepard to ground team, status report."

"It's Garrus. We're holding but they keep coming. Need an exit soon."

"Any sign of Zaeed?"

"Not yet."

"Samara, Thane and Jack got left behind."

"I see them."

"Can you pull them out?"

"I don't think so Shepard."

"Shit." She closed her eyes and gave the next order. "Head to the Normandy. Joker, prep the engines. I'm about to overload this place and blow it sky high."

"Roger that Commander." She was about to close the link when he spoke again. "Uh Commander. I've got an incoming signal from the Illusive Man. EDI's patching it through."

Miranda's omni-tool activated automatically and she held up her arm for his hologram to appear before them. Shepard rolled her eyes and turned to where Tali had opened up the control panel behind her.

"Shepard, you've done the impossible."

"I was part of a team." She gritted her teeth. Kneeling by Tali as she worked her way through the interface. "Some of them gave their lives for this mission."

"I know. Their sacrifice will not be forgotten. You did what you had to do, and you acquired the Collector base. I'm looking at the schematics EDI uploaded. A timed radiation pulse would kill the remaining Collectors but leave the machinery and technology intact." She hung her head. _And there it is._

"This is our chance Shepard. They were building a Reaper. That knowledge, that framework, could save us."

"They liquefied people. Turned them into something horrible. I'm going to destroy the base."

"Don't be short sighted. Our best chance against the Reapers is to turn their own resources against them."

"I'm not so sure." Shepard glanced back to see Miranda talking to him. "Seeing it first-hand. Using anything from this base seems like a betrayal."

"If we ignore this opportunity, that would be a betrayal. They were working directly with the Collectors, who knows what information is buried there? This base is a gift, we can't just destroy it."

She turned and faced the hologram. "You're completely ruthless. The next thing I know you'll be wanting to grow your own Reaper."

"My goal is to save humanity from the Reapers, at any cost. I've never hidden that from you. Imagine how many lives could be saved if we keep this base intact and use its knowledge to thwart the Reaper. Imagine the lives that will be lost if we don't."

"No." She shook her head, looking up into Miranda's eyes. "No matter what kind of technology we might find it's not worth it."

"Shepard. You died fighting for what you believed. I brought you back so that you could continue fighting. Some would say what we did to you was going too far but look what you've accomplished! I didn't discard you because I knew your value. Don't be so quick to discard this facility, think of the potential!"

She turned her back on him and knelt back next to Tali. "We'll fight and win without it. I won't let fear compromise who I am."

"Miranda, do not let Shepard destroy this base!"

"Or what? You'll replace me next?"

"I gave you an order Miranda!"

"I noticed." Shepard could hear every millimetre of Miranda's considerable disdain in her words. "Consider this my resignation." She paused and Shepard could imagine her smile. "TIM."

She cut the connection and came to kneel next to them, helping them patch in the complicated routine. "Let's get it done."

The program uploaded and Tali stood. "Let's move. We've got ten minutes before the reactor overloads and blows this whole station apart."

Shepard ran to the controls, trying to raise Thane or Samara on the squad comm. There was no response at all. She hammered the panel and the platform detached from its rest, hovering for a moment above the pit the Reaper had fallen into.

They had begun to lift when a claw slammed onto the platform and they were dragged back down, crashing into the floor with a shriek of metal. Shepard grabbed hold of the control panel as they lurched alarmingly sideways. She looked down into the glowing eyes of the Reaper as it clawed its way back up towards them.

"Hello ugly."

It brought its other arm up, digging the claw in right next to her. She looked back up to see Miranda and Tali hanging on for dear life above her, barely holding on as the platform went nearly ninety degrees.

Something dug into her back as the Reaper hauled itself higher. She frowned as she tried to figure out what it was. It was surprising how calm she was being really. _Of course that's probably just a massive amount of panic. Comforting._ She reached up and found a butt in her hand. She yanked down and found a heavy gun there. _Oh yeah. _She flicked it open and pointed it straight down the Reaper's mouth.

"You know," she said conversationally. "I still have no idea what this does." She activated the primer and waited as the gun clanked and whirred before beeping readiness. The Reaper screamed at her, a tremulous wail that sounded like a child's version of the hideous groans Sovereign and Harbinger could make. "Yeah yeah." She waited until its mouth was open again. "Eat this motherfucker."

The gun bucked and kicked as it launched a projectile she could actually see as it sped down to the Reaper. It disappeared down the thing's open mouth, disappearing from view.

"Hang on!" She yelled up to Miranda and Tali.

When it went the explosion was tremendous. Fire poured from every open plate on the Reaper's body, spewing out of its mouth and below the shoulder joints. Its skull fractured and steam billowed out from the crack as it struggled to pull itself higher. But the blast had weakened its shoulder joints, and with a graunching rumble the arms came loose, the Reaper hanging on by only a few loose wires.

It struggled to scream at her again, but the movement of its jaw ripped its skull apart. It split down the middle, the arms coming loose as the head fell from the torso in two pieces. The arms stayed dug into the platform on either side of her as the body of the Reaper disappeared back down the pit.

The instant the weight was gone the platform tipped hard back the other way, slamming into the wall and cracking in the middle. Shepard bounced back towards Miranda Tali, but then the platform dropped abruptly and she was thrown back the other way, slamming hard into the control column again.

As she struggled to find purchase Miranda went skidding past her, heading for the edge of the platform. Shepard launched herself forwards, catching Miranda's wrist and hanging on tight as they slid right to the edge. Miranda went over but Shepard managed to hold her, digging her glove into a seam in the metal and hanging on for dear life as the platform spiralled down after the Reaper.

There was another explosion from inside the Collector base and the platform went back the other way, throwing Miranda back on and sending them both tumbling back the other way. Out of the corner of her eye through the melee Shepard saw another platform coming towards them, out of control. The two slammed together and she was thrown free. The ground rushed up beneath her and her vision went dark.

/|\

"Where is she?"

Shepard woke to a gruff voice barking somewhere in the distance.

"Go to hell." Miranda's voice sounded oddly muffled.

Shepard tried to sit and smacked her head against something hard that clanged. She lay back down groaning, hearing a thud off to one side. Boots came closer and someone heaved the sheet of metal off her. She looked up to see Zaeed standing above her.

"Shepard. You survived."

"And yet you don't sound happy." She put a hand to her hip but her pistol had fallen loose. "Let me guess."

"For what it's worth I am sorry about this Shepard." He drew his pistol. "My orders were only if you went against the Illusive Man's direct orders in preserving the base. You don't keep a reputation in my line of work by going back on a contract."

"Just tell me something Zaeed."

"Sure."

"Is Tali alright?"

"The quarian's alive. Your biotics didn't make it though."

"Well." She sat and looked down the barrel of the gun. "Get on with it would you? And make sure they all get back to Council space alive."

He nodded and stepped back, raising the pistol and aiming for her forehead. She kept her eyes open, wondering if the second time would be any different.

That was when a hundred and fifty kilograms of pissed off krogan slammed into Zaeed at full speed.

**AN:-** Man I had some of this planned out for a long time.

Tali's little red laser device is sort of taken from Iron Man.

Jack joining the heroic sacrifice team takes from two sources. 'I'm officially on your team, you bastards' is from Balthazar in Supernatural, and 'I was better off as a coward' is from Jack Harkness of Dr Who/Torchwood.

The final end to the 'TIM' joke for this story. Miranda finally uses it.

This finale was kind of based a little on Tomb Raider anniversary. When the big monster thing clings to the platform you're on from underneath and you have to shoot out its hands. I just really noticed the similarities between the way the Reaper looks and the way that monster looked. And of course there was a shout out to Coulson facing Loki with his energy gun thing. And of course I continue the tradition of having Shepard finally use her one hard swear word per story just before shooting the bad guy.

And yeah. Perhaps the final twist of the story.


	71. Chapter 70: Sacrifice

**AN:-** Seventy chapters. Plus 1 prologue and 1 epilogue. Three. Damn. Years.

**Chapter Seventy: Sacrifice**

_Twenty minutes prior_

Samara swept her assault rifle round and poured half a clip into a scion, dropping it down to its knees. "Thane watch your back."

He whirled, sweeping the sword down and slicing a husk's head clean off. "On your left," he said as another husk made a grab for Samara.

In unison the two of them were nearly unstoppable. Despite all the exertions of the day, despite how taxing the mission had been on them all, she still moved with grace a fluidity borne of half a millennia of honing. His own skills he knew were more mechanical, more technical. Once he had learned a move it would remain, perfect in every detail within his head. It was difficult to improvise, and against such foes that would eventually be his downfall.

But only if he fought alone. Together the three of them were powerful enough to hold back the flood, to keep them focused on fighting only their small band instead of making for the rearguard to ambush them. It was a difficult task, to make sure they never made their way to safety. It required a commitment to their own deaths. To knowing they would not, indeed could not, survive the fight.

He could not speak for Samara, or for Jack. He suspected that the Justicar understood their mission, and had doubtless prepared for it much as he had. His peace came from the absolute understanding of that popular human phrase: _mors certa, hora incerta. _When one knew one's death was a certainty even more than simple old age, it was much easier to consign oneself to the care of the heavens.

The other was much easier to understand. She fought to live, with the fierceness of one who has prevailed against overwhelming odds before simply by virtue of fire and passion. He remembers, with perfect clarity, when he himself fought with that same verve. How unique an experience it had been, to fight one last battle with two who so embodied both extremes of his own life.

His blade was a never-ceasing blur, slicing through anything it touched. The monofilament blade sheared flesh, bone, circuitry, all with total ease. His pistol stayed silent in his other hand, waiting for the perfect moment in which to send an enemy to rest. The need to conserve ammunition was great upon them, although he suspected that within only a few minutes it would no longer matter. He felt the weariness upon him, the hard draw of breath over lungs that no longer cooperated fully. Life essence leaving him from a dozen minor cuts and wounds.

Above them came the flutter of wings. More Collectors, doubtless to examine what kept their husks so occupied.

Samara knocked one from the sky, Thane another, and Jack's wild shotgun blast succeeded in breaking the wings from a third. But an entire squad hung above them, taking careful aim with true fearlessness. He recognised the emotion in himself, felt it keenly when he fought. He chose to replace it with acceptance. These beasts knew no such tranquillity. They had no fear because it had been taken from them.

A volley of gunshots rained down on them. Jack swore and dropped to the floor, her leg pierced near the ankle. Two bullets struck him, one high on the chest, the other through the meat of his left leg.

Samara took the brunt of the volley. A dozen bullets punched through her body, spraying her purple blood to the ground. She gasped and a spray of blood erupted from her mouth, staining her lips and cheeks. As Thane watched the mighty warrior fell to her knees, dark blue fire boiling from within. She stood and unleashed a wave of fire that scorched all before her. The husks were melted, the Collectors dropped from the air, an attack which held for several long seconds before Samara swayed and dropped back to one knee.

In the moment's quiet she looked back to Thane. "Please."

He wasn't sure if he heard the word from her mouth, or simply saw it in her eyes, but he knew her true meaning. While Jack was still distracted by her wounded leg he stepped close to the Justicar and severed her spinal column with a single swipe of his blade. She died with the same calm look she had fought with.

He knew the right words, and he still had a moment to say them. "Find peace in the embrace of the goddess."

He fell back to cover Jack as the husks massed again. There was no abatement to the attack, nothing but blood and death on every side.

"Where's Samara?" Jack yelled.

"She has fallen."

"Fuck!"

Back to back they fought back the horse. Back to back they poured their all into every attack, keeping back the mindless creatures that at any second would overwhelm them.

The squad communicator opened and he heard Commander Shepard's voice.

"Shepard to ground team, status report."

"It's Garrus. We're holding but they keep coming. Need an exit soon."

"Any sign of Zaeed?"

"Not yet."

"Samara, Thane and Jack got left behind."

"I see them."

"Can you pull them out?"

"I don't think so Shepard."

There was a brief pause. Doubtless Shepard was consigning them to their fate. "Head to the Normandy. Joker, prep the engines. I'm about to overload this place and blow it sky high."

The decision was made. Thane pulsed blue and sent out a shockwave that knocked the husks back for a moment. He pressed the attack, Jack on his heels as he cut a swathe through to the edge of the swarm. At the edge he promptly turned and reengaged the fight. "Jack, it is time for you to go."

She loosed several shots at the husks around him. "I ain't leaving you to die."

"I am already dead. But I can hold them back for you to escape. There is no need for us both to die here."

"I'm not worth dying for."

"I'm not dying for you. All life is worthy of saving. My soul is prepared. It is saved already. You must have time to do the same for yours." He whirled his blade round, severing another dozens limbs and heads. "Go Jack."

She spared him one more look, then turned and ran for the exit, following the rearguard. From behind there was a roar of triumph, taken up by a dozen husks as they swarmed over the assassin, the sheer weight bearing him to the ground. For several seconds there was only the roar, then it ceased and the husks turned as one to face Jack.

She was already long gone though, out through the door and into the tunnel beyond, following the retreating ground team. But she ran straight into the back of the Collectors chasing them. She turned tail and ran, biotic power giving her an extra edge to get away from them. She ran blind, no idea where she was heading, only that was following the main passage.

Her power gave out shortly, followed by her legs. She had done too much, exhausted everything she had. And now she was gonna die in a rock fucking tunnel on an alien ship in the galactic core.

_Life's a fucking bitch sometimes._

She found her pistol and checked the load. One last heat sink, full capacity. Everything else was spent.

She heard careful footsteps nearby and braced herself, leaning against the wall and breathing in. If she had to go out she was gonna go out in a blaze of glory. The footsteps drew closer and she stepped out, firing a shot a second before she registered human features, a cream suit of armour and a grizzled snarl. Her bullet sparked off a kinetic shield and drew a curse from her target.

"Zaeed." She lowered the pistol. "Thank fuckin' Christ I thought I was done for."

"Not yet Jack." He got an arm under her shoulder and helped her to limp a little further down the corridor. "I'll get the medkit." He reached a hand to his belt as they walked. "Shepard's down here somewhere, she'll have a plan."

"Yeah." Jack managed a choking laugh, blood spatting her lips. "She always does."

"Yeah." He laughed as well, but it sounded ugly. "That's the problem with her. With all these hero types. They don't follow the proper plan; they always make their own."

Jack suddenly realised he had led her into a darkened hall off from the main passage. "Wait, Zaeed what the fuck is this?"

"Sorry about this Jack. Only business."

Comprehension came a second too late. She looked down to see not a med-kit but a pistol that fired until it clicked empty, throwing her back against the wall. She cried out in pain and rage as he marched past her and further into the tunnel. She couldn't feel anything beneath her waist. Her every breath was agony, her blood pooling around her.

_Shepard._ She flopped onto her front and dug her arm into the dirt in front of her, pulling herself forwards half a foot. _Shepard._ She dug her other arm in, making it another half foot. _Shepard._

/|\

"Something's wrong."

"You don't know that Joker."

"The hell I don't Taylor. Shepard set this place to blow. At the very least we should have heard something from her, telling us to go or not. She wouldn't go radio silent unless something was wrong."

"Well than she's dead. It's the only option."

"Shepard's suit telemetry was active only moments ago. She was alive and well. I detected no hint of flatline. It is possible her sensors were taken offline."

"Come on EDI, what are the chances of that? Between a suit flatline and her flatline I'd say we know which the more obvious."

"What's going on in here?" Garrus had bandages and patches on almost every centimetre of skin but he still somehow carried an imposing weight into the cockpit.

"There's been no word from Shepard. Taylor wants to take off."

"It's likely she's dead. We shouldn't risk the crew and the colonists we saved waiting for her. She wouldn't want that and you all know it."

"What was her final transmission?"

"She was setting the charges to fire, then a massive spike, then nothing."

"Exactly, she died in such a way that the suit cut out as well, vaporised or something."

"No, Joker's right. Shepard has survived a lot worse than a few fights with Collectors. If she died then it wouldn't be to something like incineration. We'd have had a few seconds of flatline from the suit telemetry before it shut down completely. She's alive out there with a busted suit."

"So what do you suggest? We go back in?"

"No we. I."

"You're gonna walk back into the Collector base alone and pull her out?"

"She'd do the same for me."

She turned and grabbed his assault rifle from outside the cockpit, finding Grunt waiting there. "I will come with you. I can track the battlemaster."

"Good." Garrus turned back to Joker. "We'll be in constant radio contact. What's the absolute longest you can leave it?"

"I can get us clear with anything more than fifteen seconds."

"Then that's how long you wait."

"Understood Garrus."

The two men shared one last nod, then Garrus jumped out to the base again.

All at once his injuries came to him. His leg nearly folded, his eye closed and wouldn't reopen. The rifle weighed heavy on his arm, his stomach wound was definitely bleeding again. He pushed it all away, focusing only on the krogan that marched ahead of him with purpose.

_This is insanity._ He thought as they came past the last exit they had been forced to make. _I barely survived the first round._

But Shepard was in here somewhere. And that trumped everything else.

Grunt soon found a scent, and took off running after it. Garrus kept pace behind him as they made their way past several inviting tunnels. He only had to hope that the krogan nose was as good as they all believed. His trust was rewarded when a moment later they rounded a corner to find a puddle of dark human blood.

"Shepard?"

Grunt shook his head. "One of the crew."

"You know which one?"

"I do not know their name."

"This is a lot of blood. They're probably dead."

"It leads further in. Not to safety. Perhaps they sought the battlemaster."

They followed the trail of blood that glistened faintly in the dim lights. Garrus had a little knowledge of humans. He didn't believe anyone could lose that amount of blood and still live. Yet somehow twenty feet ahead he thought he saw movement.

A tiny figure was crawling along the tunnel, using only her arms to drag herself inch by agonising inch. Jack was covered from head to foot in blood, several wounds still pumping it out of her and onto the ground. But somehow she kept moving, her teeth gritted and her eyes fixed on the path ahead.

Garrus knelt next to her, taking out the medi-kit, knowing it would do little good. No one wound seemed any worse or lesser than the others. "Jack. Stop moving, I'm here to help."

"Need to warn her." Jack tried to move again but her wounds were too great. She curled around the pain in her stomach and gasped. "Shit."

"Jack. Jack what's wrong?"

"Zaeed."

That was all Garrus needed to hear. He grabbed for his pistol, only to have his hand stayed by the krogan at his side.

"She will die without medicine. An ignoble death."

"I have to help Shepard."

Grunt shook his head. "Get her back to the ship."

"What about Shepard?"

Grunt growled. "I have her scent. She is near. I will return her safely."

"Grunt." He turned to watch as the turian lifted the girl into his arms. "Good luck."

He didn't bother to respond, stamping away into the den of the enemy. This was where he knew his part. His senses hummed, picking up on minute changes in the noises which surrounded him. A squad hid behind a door here. Another squad was running, for cover or in attack he didn't know, but they weren't coming for him. And always the scent trail, growing stronger as he followed the winding path down until he could hear voices.

The big man's voice was low and gravelly as he barked out questions. His target was not the battlemaster. It was the woman who followed her. The woman in white. Her answers were choked, and his implants let him know it was from her airway being restricted. This man, this mercenary, was choking the life from one of his own krantt.

That simply would not do.

He picked up speed, breaking into a run. Metal shifted a snarled ahead and he heard more low voiced words exchanged from the mercenary. Then he heard his battlemaster's voice, still strong, still defiant. As a good commander should be even in the face of death. He rounded a corner and saw the mercenary, holding his pistol at a target on the ground. Too coward to even fight her, he had to choose the assassin's way.

"Well." The battlemaster looked down the barrel of the gun with no fear. "Get on with it would you? And make sure they all get back to Council space alive."

Grunt put on a burst of speed as he saw the mercenary standing back and raising the pistol to his battlemaster's head. He opened his mouth to roar, building to a full voiced war cry as he hit, knocking the mercenary twenty feet through the air. He spread his arms wide and roared again, ignoring the small one scrabbling out of his way. All his attention was on the mercenary standing ahead of him and raising his gun.

Pistol bullets hit him like the stings of insignificant insects, burrowing into his armour but burning for only a moment. His vision was red, his blood boiled in his ears, his every nerve screamed with the urge to tear the pathetic little man apart with his bare hands and drink his blood straight from his skull. His feet moved on their own and he found himself charging again. The distance closed and he was right in front of his prey, slamming a heavy fist into the man again and again until he lay broken and bleeding on the floor.

A louder blast made it through the haze and he looked down to see a gaping hole in his stomach cavity, blood pouring from it, viscous and steaming. "Die lizard." The man's voice through to his raging brain and he found his steps were weaker, his arms heavy.

"Grunt."

Clear as a bell his battlemaster's voice cut through the fog and he was himself again. He growled low and kicked the shotgun from Zaeed's hand. "You betray your battlemaster. You disgrace your krantt. You are scum fit to be purged."

Zaeed went for his pistol but a simple kick broke his arm and sent the weapon skittering away. "You were no match for me when this was a game."

"It was only business."

Grunt's lip curled at the word. He drew his pistol. "You're not even worth killing." He pressed the gun against Zaeed's stomach and fired two shots into his guts, enjoying the spill of blood on the white armour. "Just a dog fit for carrion worms." He stepped away and cocked his head, hearing the buzz of the bugs called Seekers. "There they are now."

"Grunt, we need you to shift this."

He ran over, finally feeling the sting of his stomach wound. The battlemaster and her subordinate were trying to lift a chunk of rubble off the small quarian. He grabbed hold of the rock and heaved it away to reveal the small form, twitching and curling into a ball.

Shepard breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Get her up Grunt."

He lifted the tin body and held it delicately in his arms as they began to run back through the corridors. He took the lead, already knowing the way, and soon enough they were at full tilt as behind them the Collectors massed to try and keep them from leaving. A voice echoed in all their heads, powerful and ancient.

HUMAN. YOU'VE CHANGED NOTHING. YOUR SPECIES HAS THE ATTENTION OFF THOSE INFINITELY YOUR GREATER. THAT WHICH YOU KNOW AS REAPERS ARE YOUR SALVATION THROUGH DESTRUCTION.

Shepard stumbled, but a moment later Joker's voice came over the comm link, lifting her up again. "Do you copy Commander? Come on Shepard don't leave me hanging do you copy?"

"I'm here Joker. Did the ground team make it?"

"All survivors on board. We're just waiting for you."

At the end of the ramp it appeared, rising up like a guardian angel, engines in full blast and the airlock door open. Garrus was in the opening, leaning against the doorway with one hand over his stomach and another gripping an assault rifle. Next to him on the other side was Jacob, bleeding from a dozen wounds but gripping his assault rifle firmly.

Miranda leapt first, crashing into the deck and rolling out of sight. Grunt was next, launching himself into the air and sailing gracefully into the hold, protecting Tali as he came to a stop. Shepard gritted her teeth and powered forwards, even as the ship beneath her feet began to fall away. She reached the end of the ramp and pushed off as hard as she could, just as the Normandy was forced away by a shear of air.

She stretched out her hand and prayed.

Three fingers wrapped around her wrist, a vice-like grip that kept her in place as she was hauled up, nearly dislocating her shoulder. She felt arms around her and heard voices yelling as the Normandy bucked wildly. Someone held her down as the door closed and plunged them into momentary blackness. The deck shuddered beneath them and from far off came the sounds of destruction.

Then suddenly they were clear, no movement beneath, soft light permeating the enclosed space and only the gentle hum of engines. She focused her eyes again and saw Garrus' face above her, panting with exertion but still grinning as he looked down at her.

"We did it Commander."

She got on her knees and grabbed his hand, gripping it tight. "We did it."

Another hand found hers and she looked over to see Tali, half her suit missing around her stomach but still clenching tightly to Shepard's fist.

"Get Chakwas," Shepard said. "Get Mordin."

"We're already here Commander." Chakwas' voice was a balm all on its own. "We've got you."

"Collector base destroyed. Mission success." Something hissed against her neck. "Rest now Commander. Will celebrate later."

As the blackness overcame her all she could feel was Garrus and Tali's hands in hers, strong and alive.

**AN:- **So yeah I'm ending with a chapter that is almost entirely original material. That's pretty exciting.

When I first sat down to write the ending it really was a bloodbath. 4 characters made it back to the Normandy. Shepard, Garrus, Tali and Miranda. Everyone else bit it.

Then I played ME3 and realised that in order to write the ending that I had wanted since the beginning for my characters I needed a few more to live. Like a lot more.

So in the end the characters I had to kill were the characters who either I didn't want to write their ME3 mission, or those who I didn't think I needed in the story in order to write their ME3 mission (hi Samara.)

Of course this does leave me in rather an awkward position for writing ME3. See in my game the entire squad survived. I just killed them for the sake of the narrative. Which means that Thane will be alive to do his sacrifice thing in ME3, whereas he can't do it in my novel. And neither can Kirrahe. I actually have a solution for this writing wise. I think it's quite brilliant really.

There's not many references or shoutouts, and I always do my thanks and acknowledgements in the Epilogue chapter. So for now I'll say thanks for reading, please leave a review, and I'll see you for the Epilogue!


	72. Epilogue: Storm and Adventure

**AN:-** I'VE DONE IT!

**Epilogue: Storm and Adventure**

It took two full weeks to get them back on their feet, and even that was with some serious caveats.

EDI's blind jump had landed them near Chandrasekhar. A short jump to Omega perhaps, but the Normandy was limping almost as much as the crew those first few days. The cargo hold was basically a massive hole, the atmosphere only held in by blast shields. They were dry on fuel and running on empty for systems and electricals. It meant a lot of double shifts for already exhausted crew, and even some of the colonists were put to work, helping Chakwas in the medical bay or Tali down in the hold.

Shepard woke up after a solid forty eight hours of sleep she wasn't convinced Chakwas didn't have a hand in extending. She woke up in her own room rather than the medical bay, although she was still attached to an IV drip and covered in bandages. The full list of her injuries had taken Chakwas a good few minutes to explain and basically amounted to 'Don't do it again.'

Garrus came to see her after she was awake, swaddled in enough bandages that he resembled a movie mummy and using a cane to get about. He gave her the full damage report as collected from as many conscious crew members as he could find. No one, and for once that really did mean absolutely no one, had escaped without some injury. Even Joker was in medical for having broken a full half of the bones in his body, either during the Collector attack or the mission.

Shepard read it, along with the dozens of support messages that were now pouring in from across the galaxy. She would rather have stuck with the support messages.

Samara and Thane were dead, that much she already knew. Jack had made a brief report on Thane's final hours, then made the unusual request to contact Kolyat Krios. Shepard had gently explained that as his commanding officer it was proper that she would send the official notification, but that Jack could feel free to send her own message as soon afterwards as she wished. There were also the official letters to write to Falere and Rila.

Zaeed was also dead, though that was less of a concern to her. According to Garrus none of the team felt particularly strongly about it either, which didn't surprise her. She closed that file with only a perfunctory read. He had made his choice.

Kasumi was one of the least injured. She had taken a bullet through the palm of the hand that had left two of her fingers 'flail', a charming description she suspected Chakwas had only included to force Shepard to look it up, and possibly to conceal the fact that it might mean the end of Kasumi's thieving days. She had also been badly beaten by a husk, but her crushed foot would be back to normal soon enough. Shepard suspected the thief wouldn't stay too much longer with them. She found she was unexpectedly sad about that. Kasumi was funny, and very sweet.

Mordin had escaped with few injuries as well. He had written his own medical examination. A few extra scars and a missing tip to a digit on his left hand but other than that he survived unharmed.

Legion would need a full repair by his own people before he could back to readiness. The trip through the fire had left him severely damaged even before the Collectors got hold of the rear guard and chewed them up. Multiple bullet wounds, unusable joint on his left knee, scorched armour plating which meant a loss of sensory neurofunction, whatever that was, in most of his extremities. To her surprise it had been Tali who carried out the extensive diagnostic on the geth. She could only hope that that was a positive sign.

Miranda's injuries were mostly internal, from where a chunk of Reaper had crushed her to the deck before Zaeed dug her out. A severe bleed on the abdomen, a bad concussion, several broken ribs and a partially collapsed lung from where one of her broken ribs had been driven into it. _Lovely._ Shepard thought as she closed the file. She had the sneaking suspicion most of Miranda's pain would be coming from a more personal source anyway.

Jacob had been riddled with bullets almost to the extent that Grunt had, only without the benefit of the redundant nervous system. Chakwas reported twenty-nine separate gunshot wounds across his body, including a bullet that had hit him in the face and taken out most of his cheek during the final battle. Shepard wasn't overly concerned, though she imagined he probably looked a hell of a sight. Gunshots were something Chakwas was unfortunately an expert in.

Grunt was a mess of bullet holes as well, though considerably more chipper about it. The worst wound had been from where Zaeed shot him in the stomach, but a bandage and a single day of rest had been enough to get him back on his feet. Pure krogan indeed.

Tali had sustained a massive infection. Half her suit had been practically ripped off from all the debris flying around her. Couple that with some severe cuts from the metal which had allowed infection into her bloodstream and Chakwas was calling her survival a miracle. It was taking a severe chunk of the Normandy's anti-biotics just to keep her breathing, but Chakwas wrote very insistently that the danger was over and it would just take time now.

Garrus was about the same as her. Several bullet wounds, a couple of broken bones, a concussion neither of them had noticed at the time and a few internal bruises and bleeding. Shepard was mostly impressed that something had managed to break her supposedly unbreakable bones. _I should ask Miranda for a refund. _Garrus of course was in high spirits simply from surviving, and had apparently taken to using his cane to whack people who did things he didn't like.

_I should maybe talk to him about that. After I get a cane as well._

Which only left Jack.

Jack had been a mess when Garrus brought her back to the ship. Twenty distinct bullet wounds, multiple broken or fractured bones, nearly as many as Joker, and of course six high velocity shots clean through her midsection, courtesy of Zaeed. One of those bullets had severed her spine. Chakwas had done what she could, but the damage was too severe. She would recover sensation, but not utility. _Damn._ Shepard could only imagine what that would do to her. She didn't know Jack's feelings on prosthetics, but she did know from old military friends that although they could do an amazing job it was never quite the same. And none of this mentioned the clear mental strain she had to be under. Betrayed by a teammate, having watched two others sacrifice themselves.

_Oh Jack._

She closed the report and threw it onto her bedside table. Her only comfort, and it was the smallest comfort, was that things could very easily have gone a lot worse for all of them. _If I hadn't sent Zaeed back to the ship._ She shuddered to think about it, remembering how Zaeed had protested the decision. If he hadn't needed that extra time to find her again, if Miranda hadn't been on her side.

_You'll kill yourself with if._

Good advice from a trusted source. If's did no good wondering about. Particularly when a much more tantalising _next_ hung on the horizon.

Once they were finally in motion again, the cargo bay still looking like an open jaw to the ship, a message had arrived at her terminal. Two words, the source concealed but very obvious.

_I'm waiting._

Shepard grinned to read it. So many things still left to hold on for. As she marched through the Normandy, nodding to the crew or colonists or squad who were helping weld down plates or reset wiring, she couldn't imagine being anywhere else.

She finally reached the briefing room, which she had ordered to be left untouched as a final act of defiance to him. He had been trying to contact them ever since they got the nav-coms back online. Joker still wasn't sure why she wanted to talk to him at all.

She heaved a piece of the deck away from the door and kicked a piece of the desk aside. EDI assured her the transmission would still work. No expense spared after all.

To his credit, he showed little emotion as his image materialised before her. "Shepard. You're making a habit of costing me more than time and money."

"Too many lives were lost at that base. I'm not sorry it's gone."

"The first of many lives. The technology from that base could have secured human dominance in the galaxy, against the Reapers and beyond."

"And there's the problem. Human dominance. What right do we have to just take the galaxy by force? It's not ours to take. You're out for a dictatorship, and one with Cerberus at the head."

He actually rose from his chair, pacing towards her. She only raised an eyebrow at him. "Strength for Cerberus is strength for every human. Cerberus is humanity." _I refuse to believe that._ "I should have known you'd choke on the hard decisions, too idealistic from the start."

"I'm not looking for your approval. Harbinger's coming and he won't be alone. Humanity needs a leader who's looking out for them. And that ain't you."

"And I suppose you think it's you?"

"I'm a soldier. I lead soldiers. Humanity can run itself without your help, it's been doing it quite well for years now. So from now on I'm doing things my way. Whether you agree or not."

He stalked back to his chair and sat down, clearly trying to regain his calm. "Let me make this perfectly clear Shepard." He leaned forward and stabbed at her with his cigarette. "I don't need you. And if it comes to it then…"

"No." She cut him off. "That's not it. I finally realised." She laughed, enjoying the shock on his face. "I finished going through the files on the Lazarus Project. The money you pumped into it? I called it in our first ever conversation, do you remember? You could have raised a fleet, or an army, but you chose to bring me back." She folded her arms and leaned back. "How many billions, trillions, of credits did you spend on me? How many more have you got left to spend?"

She enjoyed the look on his face as he slowly leaned back. "You're in this for everything you've got. But it's not riding on you, it's riding on me. All the hope of the galaxy is on me, but all of your money is on me as well." Her smile disappeared. "You've been trying to keep me from realising it. Bouncing me from mission to mission, never letting me catch my breath. Keeping my allies from contacting me. I came back from the dead and didn't even have a day to process that but I've processed it now."

"Do you have a point Shepard?"

"For all your bluster, you can't do it without me. You've got nothing left. And that terrifies you doesn't it? It's not that you think I won't do the job, because you and I know damn well I will. It's because you've lost me. You thought that putting your chosen agents on the ship, your people surrounding me, you thought all that would convert me to your ways?" She waved a hand dismissively. "They're on my side now, and I was never on yours. You've lost them, and you've lost me."

"I brought you back Shepard, you owe me."

"No, Miranda brought me back. Wilson brought me back. Liara gave you my body. A team of specialists and scientists gave me life, you just signed the orders. You didn't even head the project yourself." She dropped her arms and leaned in, making sure they had eye contact. "I'm not your toy and I'm not your pet. I'm going to save everyone I can, and I'm going to fight back the Reapers, and I'm going to do it without you or your goddamn organisation."

She turned to leave, seeing him leap from his chair out of the corner of her eye. "Don't turn your back on me Shepard. I made you!"

"Joker, lose this channel."

And the image was gone.

_Now that felt good._

She marched back out to the CIC to find Miranda waiting at Kelly's usual spot.

"You planning on making an application for that post?" Shepard asked as she forced herself up to the galaxy map. Her knee was still weaker than it should have been. Of course it had been completely replaced after that pesky first death.

"You already seem to have an Executive Officer." She nodded over to where Garrus was berating one of the sensor techs, using his cane to tap the poor woman's screen. He glanced back and grinned at her briefly before resuming the lecture.

"He'll be a crotchety old man before his time."

"So where to Commander?"

"I have a list of drop-off requests from crew members who either want to return to Cerberus or their families."

"And then?"

"I received a communique from Liara. Should be promising."

"Another mission so soon?" Miranda rubbed her head. "I think we may need a little time."

"I know. That's why I have a different destination in mind first."

Miranda looked puzzled. Shepard turned to the galaxy map and smiled. "Alchera. I want to pay my respects. But then it's on Miranda."

That earned her a raised eyebrow. "It's on?"

"On to adventure! To sailor tales and sailor tunes, storm and adventure, heat and cold!" She brought up the first crew destination. "All the old romance, retold exactly in the ancient way."

The End

**AN:-** I will admit this one kind of got away from me. It was intended to be about 1,000 words, just the final screw you to the Illusive Man.

Yeah I dragged out Jack's thing about as long as I could didn't I? Like I say she was slated to die in my first draft and I never quite got over the idea. There's like a dozen bits of foreshadowing about her not being the one to make it. Ah well.

I extended the Illusive Man's final farewell. The resources of Cerberus always bugged me. Like they explicitly say in ME2 that he devoted a huge chunk of resources to the Lazarus Project, which I interpreted to mean they didn't have many left, but then in ME3 they're mounting entire armies and battle fleets and dumping trillions into Reaper research. I will be handwaving that away when I write up ME3.

I'm not going to be writing up the Alchera mission. Next will be the Lair of the Shadow Broker. Then Arrival. Somewhere in the middle I'm going to do a series of one-off 'Letters.' This will address some of Miranda's correspondance with Oriana, Thane and Kolyat, Shepard and Liara, Jack and Kolyat now. Some of it will directly set up events and personal plotlines in my Mass Effect 3 novelisation. Most of what I write in ME3 does all take place in the same shared universe, certainly everything posted to this site is all canon to everything else.

I started writing this in April 2011. I was still at university, I hadn't even done my final exams. Since then I've lived in Belfast, had a number of jobs, had a number of girlfriends. And this damn fanfic I started for fun has outlasted all of them. It's a funny old world. Here's to Mass Effect 3: Food of Love not taking a decade to finish (to get that joke you're gonna have to read my author's notes.)

Here we go. In alphabetical order thanks to:

Alchemist Astrid

Allyon

AlsoKnownAsMatt

bluemarlin

Desert Sunrise

Ember Quill

Inverness

JTheClivaz

LightningState

MaxNight

Pachecoissa123

praga

RayneEthelwulf

tera

warchief

YukiShepard

And finally, for those who don't know it. Here's where Shepard's quote at the end comes from. The epigraph to Treasure Island:

If sailor tales to sailor tunes,

Storm and adventure, heat and cold,

If schooners, islands, and maroons,

And buccaneers, and buried gold,

And all the old romance, retold

Exactly in the ancient way,

Can please, as me they pleased of old,

The wiser youngsters of today:

- So be it, and fall on! If not,

If studious youth no longer crave,

His ancient appetites forgot,

Kingston, or Ballantyne the brave,

Or Cooper of the wood and wave:

So be it, also! And may I

And all my pirates share the grave

Where these and their creations lie!

See you for Mass Effect 3


End file.
